As It Was and As It May Be
by Pookie2
Summary: As everything she's worked for begins to fall apart, the Courier struggles to hold the Mojave's fragile peace together. The final part of the 'All The Things You Are' storyline. Rated for language, violence, sexual content.
1. The Good Word

The little shit was running for it. Of course he was; the first job Jack had taken personally in a while and he had a runner.

"Get back here!" the old merc yelled. "No one wants to be found murdered behind a whore house!"

There was a chuckle at his side, and Rudner spoke up.

"Want me to get 'im?"

"Nah, I need the exercise," Jack answered. "Make sure the robots don't get nosey."

"You're the boss," Rudner answered as Jack started after his quarry. He saw the man slip over the other side of the Gomorrah's fence and ran after him.

Biting out a curse, Jack quickly clambered over after him, knocking his knee into the hard metal as he did. As he landed with a slight stumble on his now-throbbing leg someone, probably his target, took a swing at his head. The blow collided with his ear, and Jack grimaced at the ringing that came with it.

The look on Caleb McCaffery's face was close to panic as Jack shrugged off the blow and kept coming. The former bouncer must have thought his attacker was a simple mugger.

Jack had thought about drawing this out further, but his mood had soured when he'd banged his leg on the Gomorrahs' fence. So he gunned McCaffery down before he got the chance to call for help.

The shot's report echoed across the courtyard, but the people all seemed to be too occupied with their 'entertainment' to care. All except the one hooker who'd been standing nearby.

"Did you see anything?" he asked the girl, who let out a laugh.

"I sure as hell didn't. That fucker was in here yesterday. Didn't leave a tip."

"So he stiffed you?" Jack laughed loudly at his own joke as he bent down to scoop up the body. He threw the hooker a few caps as he started for the fence.

"There's your tip, ma'am."

He only got a brief glimpse of the woman's grin before he turned away. A moment later he had shoved the body over the fence and climbed after it.

"Any witnesses?" Gaboon asked as he landed on the ground. Jack grinned.

"Just a working girl," was his answer. The younger man before him, another of his group and a Viper by birth, nodded calmly. Prostitutes knew better than to talk. Even if they didn't, Jack was always looking for a little extra publicity.

Gaboon began searching the dead man for valuables.

"We need the hat," Jack added.

"Yes, Great Snakekeeper," the younger man answered. Jack bit down on a sigh. The youth was the only one who referred to his official title. He'd have told the kid to cut it out, but it scared the hell out of the newcomers they'd recruited.

River Jack was the current, and probably final, leader of the Vipers. Most of their number had been decimated a generation ago by the Brotherhood of Steel, and now only a small number of their followers still survived, most scattered into ineffective raiding groups.

"He must have spent or hidden most of the money he stole," Gaboon said as he stood, hat in hand. Jack nodded and looked around. The securitrons hadn't gotten wise to what had happened yet, but it was time to leave.

They walked past the Lucky 38, and Rudner spoke up as he rejoined them. Jeremiah, one of the newer recruits trailed after him.

"I hear this place is crawling with foxes that have more caps then sense," Rudner crowed.

"I wonder if they keep the doors locked at night," Jeremiah said, grinning widely.

"I don't care if it's full of nymphos that are desperate for idiot raider dick," Jack said warningly. "Keep your grubby mitts to yourselves." The man grinned. "Unless we're getting paid."

The others laughed as they continued out of the Strip's gate and through Freeside. After a brief stop by the Garretts' casino to deliver the hat and accept their payment, Jack led his group home. 'Home' was little more than a hole in the ground they'd found South East of Primm, but it kept his men out of trouble during their down time.

It had also been pure therapy killing all the Jackals that had been squatting there.

Once they'd gotten inside, Jack threw their newest bag of caps at the desk tucked in one of the side rooms. Squared, the 'accountant,' would divvy it up in the morning. So far their fifth accountant had been working out. Accountants one through four had been less than satisfactory in correctly splitting the money as Jack had asked them. Squared hadn't felt the need to try and rip Jack off, yet.

The old Viper got to his room and started pulling off his extra armor. The man never took it all off, but it was hard to sleep properly in shoulder guards and a bulky chest plate.

"Hey Jack!" came a cry from one of the newer recruits; the older man couldn't place his name yet.

"What?" he barked as he started searching around for where he thrown his current carton of cigarettes. The recruit hesitated at the doorway. Jack gave him a week or two before he ended up a greasy smear on the pavement with that lack of nerve.

"We got a message; someone wants to hire us."

Jack held his hand out, and the recruit gave him a folded sheet of paper. The old merc probably should have been worried that someone had figured out who and where he was, but they hadn't sent anyone to kill him, so he didn't care.

Unfolding the letter, he read the careful handwriting, then started laughing. He looked up at the recruit, who looked nervous from his sudden change in mood.

"Tell everyone they have five minutes, then we've got work."

*.*.*

"Mail call!" Gorobets bellowed, and the members of 1st Recon came meandering out of their tents. They gathered around their commanding officer and Annie, their regular courier. She was already handing out letters and packages by the time Boone made it to the group.

"Letter for Dennis."

Jack of Spades groaned as he accepted what was undoubtedly a letter from his mother.

"Package for Corporal Sterling."

The former ranger smiled. Another one from his granddaughter.

"Two letters, a package and the paper for the Lieutenant." Annie handed the stack to Gorobets. "Miss Granville also sent a care package for everyone."

"What'd she send?" Gorobets asked as he balanced the items in his arms precariously.

"Trail mix and armor-piercing .308 rounds."

"Food and ammo. She sure knows how to keep this outfit happy," Gorobets said as he and the others started going through their items.

"Why go through all the trouble of getting the newspaper from California?" Mitch asked as the lieutenant unwrapped the paper. "Must cost a fortune."

"How else am I going to know if my kids end up in jail?" Gorobets laughed. "Besides, I know the girl who owns the mail company."

Annie handed Boone his mail, a letter from Layla. He carefully slit the envelope with his machete.

"_Dear Boone,_

_How are you? I hope everything's going well. Things are the same as usual around here. Arcade left for California last week, so it's down to Veronica and I. No, there hasn't been any trouble. In fact, things have been very boring…"_

Boone frowned. He knew Layla had been sad about the others drifting away. He found himself grateful again that Veronica was sticking around. He made a mental note to write Veronica and thank her.

'…_Michael Angelo taught me how to develop my own film and pictures the other day. Consequently, if you lose or let anyone see the enclosed photo, I'll kill you so much there'll be nothing left to identify you. Enjoy!_

_Be careful._

_I miss you and I love you,_

_Layla'_

Pulling the picture from the envelope, the sniper felt his eyebrows rise of their own accord and quickly stowed the photo in one of his inner pockets. He found Mitch giving him a weird look.

"…Are you blushing?"

Boone merely stared at him until he gave up and went back to his own mail.

"Uh Boone? You might want to take a look at this," Gorobets said, holding the Shady Sands Standard up to his face. Spades and Bitter-Root stood to either side, gaping at the paper.

"…What is it?"

*.*.*

"Layla! Mail's here!" Veronica yelled as she stepped into the suite.

"Was it Annie?" the Courier called back from the kitchen.

"Yeah, and John."

The girl was almost immediately at her side. John meant normal mail; Annie meant 1st Recon mail.

"Good lord, that's a lot of stuff," she gaped at the pile in the scribe's arms. Soon they were in the kitchen, sorting all the pieces. Layla had a system for opening her mail, letters from unknown sources, letters from people she knew, packages, and she saved anything from Boone for last.

"Huh, got one from my mother," the Courier murmured as she kept sorting her pile.

"She probably wants to know why every soldier coming back to California knows your name," Veronica said, thumbing through the few things she'd received. Interestingly, she'd gotten a letter from Boone. Curious, she opened it first as Layla opened a suspicious envelope with a big greasy smear on it.

'_Veronica,_

_Wanted to thank you for keeping an eye out on Layla. She's getting lonely. I can tell…'_

The scribe smiled, Boone was alarmingly sweet when he put his mind to it. She'd have to say so in front of 1st Recon the next time they were in town. She continued reading.

'…_Gorobets sent the Shady Sands Standard. Not really sure how Layla's gonna take it, but try not to let her overreact. _

_Good luck,_

_Boone'_

"What does that mean?" Veronica said out loud, getting Layla's attention. Looking at the other girl's pile, she located the newspaper in question and pulled out of its wrapper.

"What?" The Courier asked as Veronica unrolled the paper. The front page was a single photo accompanied by a ridiculously large headline.

"_THE COURIER WHO WON THE WAR." _

The picture was Layla on the Dam, chainsaw in one hand, Lanius' helmeted head in the other.

"Hooooly shit!" Veronica sputtered.

"What? What is it?" Layla stood and moved to the other girl's side, looking at the paper.

"…Oh boy…"

*.*.*

"Layla Granville, a NCR citizen from the New Arroyo area, has been Tandi-like in her even-handed dealings during her brief tenure as the acting owner of New Vegas' Strip (taking over for the former owner, Robert House). Reports from sources including the Mojave's citizens, caravan groups and the NCR military have reported her to be generous and kind, a soothing balm on the harshness of the wastes," Raul read out loud.

"Oh that's just great," Cass muttered. "You're going to be impossible to live with." She looked over to the Courier and found her still looking slightly shocked. A moment later a smile slid over her face.

"They said I was Tandi-like."

"See," Cass grumbled to Raul.

"And all it took to get some recognition was winning their war for them and giving them an entire country," the ghoul added.

"Yeah," the Courier mumbled, not seeming to hear. Cass shook her head and looked up at Raul, who was reading the article still.

"It says here you 'united the Mojave against the Legion and rooted out Legion spies while both officially and unofficially working for the NCR.'"

"Well, that's pretty much right," Layla said. "I didn't really started working for the NCR at all until… you know." Her face fell somewhat as she looked around the suite.

"What I want to know is who took that picture," Cass spoke up. "I was there, and we were all ass-deep in legionaries."

"There must have been a war reporter," Layla said thoughtfully. "I didn't even know the NCR had any around here."

"Must not have been a good one. The picture's blurry," Raul said, "Can't even really make out your face."

"That's probably for the best," the Courier said as she stood from the table. "I don't want people chasing me down for my autograph."

Cass opened her mouth to let the girl have it, but Layla spoke before she could.

"You guys hungry? Lunch is on me."

The caravaneer promptly closed her mouth; she wasn't one to pass up a free lunch.

*.*.*

"_This is Mr. New Vegas, your ever faithful companion. Let's stay together, baby. And now the news: Another caravan has been destroyed in what looks like a raider attack. This marks the third in a single week. NCR officials have vowed to bring the attackers to justice, but caution caravans to take extra precautions in the-"_

Layla snapped off her Pip-Boy radio as she headed back to the Lucky 38. She was having a hard time keeping a big stupid grin from crowding her face.

People had called her crazy for all the things she'd done to help the NCR. She certainly didn't think the government was perfect, but it was her country, and there was no better alternative to it. Besides, all the things she'd done to help had kind of just… happened. Layla certainly hadn't stepped into the Mojave planning to lop Lanius' head off. Either way, it was nice to see that California appreciated what she'd done.

"Who's that?" Raul ask, breaking her from her thoughts. She heard the tension in his voice as she looked in the direction he was glaring. Layla groaned when she got a look at the man in question.

"It's Wade…" she grumbled, then placed a hand on the ghoul's arm, which was tensing toward his gun belt. "He's a courier."

The ghoul nodded, but left his hand resting on the butt of his right pistol. Layla shook her head, but didn't question him. Besides maybe he'd scare away the little bastard.

"Got a delivery for the world's greatest courier," Wade said as he ambled up to them. "Looks like it's hot off the presses."

Layla frowned at that. "What do you mean? Who's it from?"

"Didn't leave a name, but I was asked to delivery it personally."

He handed Layla a newspaper, 'The Observer.'

"What is it?" Cass asked, also sounding tense. She must have picked up on Raul's discomfort.

"One of the other California newpapers," Layla answered. She unrolled the paper, confused until she read the headline.

'_COURIER TAKES THE NCR FOR A RIDE; WHAT'S HER ANGLE?'_

* * *

I hope you enjoyed reading; be sure to write a review if you've got something to say about the chapter. I can't believe we're here already: the final story.

See you next Saturday!_  
_


	2. It Comes in Threes

"It isn't that bad," Governor Crocker said soothingly.

"Not bad?" Layla cried. "They said I was a 'wolf in sheep's clothing!' Did you see the part about how I apparently slept with half of the NCR army? And 'key members of the Legion!'" She put her head in her hands and groaned.

"They said I was an Enclave sympathizer and chem addict," the Courier continued. "Med-X! I don't ever take it when I get shot! My father's gonna have my ranger brother drag me back to California, I just know it."

"It's going to be all right," Crocker said, putting a Nuka-Cola in front of her. "When I first got into politics, you should have seen what they wrote about me."

"You?" Layla looked up, incredulous. "What did they say?"

"I was obviously a pampered Boneyard rich boy who didn't know how the real world worked."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's not true."

"Of course not, but news printers want to sell papers. What'll sell better: 'Crocker's a stand up guy,' or 'Crocker's a crock?'"

Layla bit her lip. "They didn't really print the second one did they?"

"They most certainly did."

She couldn't hold back a laugh. The governor smiled.

"This whole thing will calm down, and people will hear more from troops returning home," he told her. "Anyone who has seen what you've done knows the truth."

Layla nodded, then grimaced. "They're not going to attack my friends, are they?"

Crocker shrugged. "Who knows for sure? If someone gets a picture of you with one of them, I guarantee you there'll be a story about your steamy affair."

That didn't make her feel better. Well, it was a little funny. Suddenly her stomach felt like it dropped into her feet.

"Boone was at Bitter Springs… You don't think they'd go after him for that, do you?" She found Crocked giving her a reassuring look.

"No, the Observer is very pro-Kimball. They're not going to take pot-shots at war heroes. It's far more likely they'll say you've been corrupting him and hopefully he'll leave you for a nice Shady Sands girl."

Layla sagged in relief. "Okay… That's not so bad." She smirked. "I mean, I do corrupt him, so I can't complain about that one."

*.*.*

As she was handed another tequila, Layla came to the conclusion Cass was trying to cheer her up. The woman had been fairly annoyed with the first article, but the second really seemed to piss her off. Once the Courier had come back from Crocker's, the caravaneer and Veronica had demanded to take her to the Tops.

They had only just left the casino a few hours ago. When they'd been there last, people had been buying her drinks and making a big fuss over her once Swank announced the Shady Sands Standard article. Now people weren't making eye contact with her.

Layla certainly hoped it was because they felt awkward about the awful report, and not that they believed it. She had been somewhere between horrified and amazed that everyone in the town seemed to have seen that second article. She got the sinking suspicious Wade had been spreading it around.

Raul, she found, had been unusually quiet since the news broke, but had kept close by. If Layla had to guess, he was expecting trouble. She kept catching him looking around the room, hand still on his gun belt. That was probably a good thing; Layla wasn't really paying much attention to the area around them.

The initial shock of the awful article had worn off, giving Layla some time to think. Crocker had been right; they were just trying to sell papers. The thing that had concerned her was that some of the information in both articles was eerily correct. Probably the most worrisome was the mention of her Enclave ties. It was sensationally worded, but pretty much hit the nail on the head; she knew 'active' Enclave members. Of all the things that had been printed, that was one of her actually guarded secrets. Layla highly doubted Lieutenant Gorobets blabbed to anyone, and the only other one who'd seen the Enclave Remnants at the dam was Ranger Castles. She doubted he'd told anyone about the people who'd saved his life either.

Layla supposed it could have been a lucky guess, but the whole thing made her uneasy. Clearly someone had done their homework on her. That wasn't the kind of attention she was used to, and it made her feel far more vulnerable than she cared for.

"How about another drink, doll?" Swank said as he came up to her table, breaking her from her thoughts. "Can't let a bunch of rumor-mongers get you down."

The Chairman had been working hard to get her spirits up, instantly dismissing the second article as 'political bullshit.' Layla appreciated it, but she really didn't want anyone noticing her right now.

"Okay, Layla answered, then groaned as a thought hit her. "Nothing strong, I don't need people running articles about how I turned into an alcohol-"

"Wait," Cass interrupted. "Listen."

Layla stopped talking and tried to figure out what the other woman was talking about. Looking around she noticed a group was forming around the bar, near the radio.

"…_The reports are still coming in,"_ Mr. New Vegas' voice came over the radio, _"but inside NCR sources say the Brotherhood of Steel may have been involved."_

"Implicated in what?" Layla cried as she rushed over to the crowd listening in.

"Shh," one of the gamblers next to her said as the radio announcer continued.

"_The Followers of the Apocalypse have not released a statement yet, but the two groups have had little hostility in the past. I guess the honeymoon's over. This is Mr. New Vegas reminding you to treat your spouse right, especially if they have a murderous streak."_

"What happened?" Layla asked again. The gambler who'd shushed her turned back her way.

"The Brotherhood of Steel wiped out that Followers outpost near the 188."

*.*.*

"This place is a nuthouse," Layla murmured as she and Raul walked into the Old Mormon Fort.

"I wonder how many are 'war reporters,'" the ghoul responded.

"I'll tell you one thing," Layla said as they started looking around for Julie Farkas. "I don't think the Mojave's been very well served by the media."

"You've got about a 50% success rate," Raul said sardonically.

"Yeah, well, I'd rather have no articles about me at all," the Courier grumbled.

"That's the price of do-gooding."

"You do plenty of good-doing and you never get any of the negative crap," Layla said. The ghoul laughed.

"Never get any of the positive either, boss."

"That's not true; I feed you all the time. And there's all that reflected glory- Oh, there's Julie," the girl said, waving as she approached the Follower. Julie looked tired as she stopped long enough for Layla and Raul to catch up.

"I'm sure you guys are busy," Layla said, "but I wanted to talk to you before I started wading through all the NCR brass."

"We don't know much yet," Julie said with a sigh. "All we've been told is that the place was torn up by laser fire and everyone there was killed."

"Who was there?" Layla asked, feeling her stomach knot up as she did.

"Dr. Alvarez, the new volunteers she'd been training, and Emily Ortal."

Layla gasped. Emily had been a friend ever since she'd helped Layla and her group take over the Strip from Mr. House. The Follower had been in the Lucky 38 often to study the late owner's technology.

"I just saw her a few days ago," Layla sputtered without thinking. Julie gave her a understanding look.

"Emily spoke about you fairly often. She was very happy to get access to Mr. House's systems," Julie said kindly.

"Is there going to be a service for her here?" Layla asked.

"No, she's getting sent back to her family in Arroyo."

The Courier nodded, then felt her stomach twist again. "The radio's been saying it was the Brotherhood… Do you guys have any clue?"

"I'm afraid not," Julie said, sounding annoyed. "The NCR has 'officially' taken control of the investigation. We haven't had access to the site since it happened."

Layla nodded. "I'll speak with Crocker. If he can't help, I'll run down to Camp Golf and see what the rangers are doing about it."

Julie sighed. "I'd appreciate if you could get word back to us when you learn something."

*.*.*

"I'm here to see-"

"He's expecting you," Liza O'Malley said stiffly. "Go in."

"Thank you," Layla murmured as she walked past the secretary's desk. Liza had never been overly fond of the Courier, despite the other woman's efforts to be pleasant. Layla was starting to realize that she'd have to accept that there would be people she couldn't win over.

That thought didn't help her mood as she headed down the hall toward the governor's office.

"Oh, excuse me, Chester," Layla said as she found the MP in the hall, standing with his back to her and in her way.

"Granville," the man said in greeting as he turned. "What's this about the hanging out with Enclave members?"

"It's not true," Layla all but snapped. Chester held up his hands.

"All right, don't bite my head off," he said, backing away.

"I'm sorry," Layla sighed. "Kinda stressed."

"Yeah yeah, it's tough being the toast of the town," the man said as she continued on without responding, not wanting to dig herself deeper. Instead, she turned into Crocker's office.

"Layla," she heard the governor say as she stepped through his door. "Come in. Close the door."

She did as he asked, then threw herself into the chair by his desk.

"I'd say I want to go back to California and hide, but half the place thinks I'm the Legion's personal whore," she muttered. Crocker laughed at that.

"When it rains, it pours," the man said.

"How much have you heard?" Layla asked. "Is there really any evidence it's the Brotherhood?"

"I'm afraid I've only received a very bare-bones report. There are a handful of rangers looking into it, but nothing concrete has come up."

"Then why are they saying it was the Brotherhood of Steel on the radio?" the Courier demanded. She caught the tone she was using and grimaced; she was starting to take out her anxiety on the Governor.

To the man's credit, he gave her an understanding look.

"It was a merchant delivering supplies who discovered the scene. There was a lot of gatling laser damage, and that usually points to the Brotherhood."

Layla sat back on her chair, thinking. There certainly weren't many people outside of the Brotherhood of Steel who ran around with gatling lasers, but it certainly didn't prove anything.

"Was there anything else?"

Crocker looked slightly uncomfortable as he continued, "The Outpost had been torn apart, but there were clearly files missing. Research, reports, and holotapes were taken."

That was more worrisome, but didn't necessarily indicate the Brotherhood. Layla gasped as a thought occurred; the Enclave information ED-E had been carrying. She'd given a copy to both the Brotherhood and the Followers.

"What?" the governor asked. "What is it?"

"It's... something," Layla said carefully. "We may have a big problem."

"I think we do either way," he said. "Is it something concrete?"

"It's a possible connection between the two groups, but I'd need to have someone who knew what was stored at the Outpost look around to see what was missing first."

The governor nodded. "Julie Farkas has asked to be let in already."

"Yeah, I spoke with her," Layla said.

"Have you had a chance to talk to any of your Brotherhood contacts?" Crocker asked.

"No," Layla sighed, "Well, I've been with Veronica since this happened, but she hasn't spoken to anyone yet. We were planning to go to Hidden Valley tomorrow morning."

Crocker nodded. "I hate to make any moves until you've had a chance to speak with Elder McNamara... but we need to start damage control."

"Yeah, I know." Layla dug a notebook out of her pocket and flipped it open. "So what's the plan?"

"I'll have an nice, vague official statement to go out tomorrow," the governor answered. "It'll delay any major decisions for a little while."

"It's only going to take one hotheaded NCR soldier mouthing off to one hotheaded Brotherhood paladin, or vise-versa, and this is going to get very ugly," Layla said with a groan as she finished jotting down her notes.

"And neither side is in short supply of hotheads," Crocker agreed.

The girl gave him a grim smile. "All right, I'd better head home. Raul's been watching me like a hawk; I don't want him to come looking for me."

"It always pays to be cautious," the man said. "Especially at a time like this."

"Yeah, I know," the Courier said as she stood. "If I can't get away quickly once I get to Hidden Valley, I'll send a courier."

"Go on then. We'll be in touch."

*.*.*

The girl nodded as she got up from her seat and made for the door. She looked distracted as she left. Crocker knew that faraway look; he'd seen it on the Courier numerous times, usually when there was trouble.

Well, trouble was certainly here, though Crocker hadn't thought it'd come this soon. The Mojave's peace had been held together with duct tape and wonderglue. Even with Layla's constant efforts to keep things together, it was only a matter of time until something changed for the worse.

In all honesty, he thought that change would be General Moore trying to oust him from the Mojave and his new position. He'd heard about some of the reports she'd sent to California about him. Plenty of concern for his abilities and willingness to do what was good for the NCR.

But, oddly enough, the inquiry and eventual dismissal he'd been expecting hadn't come. Crocker had come to suspect the rangers may have had a hand in it, possibly Layla as well.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on that, however. He had work to do. Before he left the office, he wanted to type out the official NCR statement, start putting together the report he'd send to California, and set up a meeting with General Manning about their combat readiness. Crocker and Layla would certainly do what they could to keep the peace, but it didn't hurt to set up contingencies if the Brotherhood had decided to act against the newly-signed treaty.

As he started jotting down a rough draft of his statement, he heard someone walking through the hall. It was late, and most people didn't come around his side of the embassy. The footsteps approached his office, and he looked up as the door opened, wondering what was wrong now. The gun pointed in his direction answered for him.

* * *

Thank you all for the ass-ton of favorites, alerts and the few reviews that made me make Goofy-styled 'Gwarsh" noises. In answer to L. Ravensky's question: this is the end of the series proper, but not the end of Layla's story.


	3. Funeral For a Friend

"Tune in next week for the next exciting episode, only on Vault-Tec channel nine!"

A jingle played, followed by a slightly impatient whistle from the rec room.

"Edward," Layla said as she walked in, "I know you're excited, but we're going to have to leave soon. Unless you don't want to go with."

There was a grumbling trill from the eyebot, who rose off the pool table where he'd been watching TV.

"I'd say you could stay here all day," Layla continued, "but I kind of want you around for this. Besides, I promised Raul I'd take you in case there's trouble." The ghoul had decided against going to Hidden Valley, instead heading off to his shack for a while.

Layla had been happy about his decision, mainly because she was going to suggest it herself: as much as she wanted to deny it, a large portion of the Brotherhood of Steel still harbored prejudice against ghouls. Most days, Layla wouldn't let a few jackasses determine who she traveled with, but tensions were going to be high at the bunker, and she didn't want to make things worse.

Mainly she didn't want to get in a fistfight.

It was just before dawn; she and Veronica were preparing to walk to Hidden Valley. Layla had decided to just assume the Brotherhood of Steel wasn't behind the attack on the Followers of the Apocalypse. If it turned out there had been some kind of real trouble, well, they'd figured that out when they got there. Layla certainly hoped it wouldn't be on the end of an explosive collar.

She and ED-E walked to the master bedroom, where Veronica was packing her things.

"I didn't think you'd be able to tear him away," the scribe said as she closed her bag. "I've never seen a robot act that way over a goofy show, like he thinks the whole thing's rea-OW!" she yelled as Layla stepped on her foot. ED-E whistled questioningly.

"No, of course RALPHIE's real, the Courier said. "Veronica was just making a joke." She glared at the other girl. "A bad joke."

"That's almost as crazy as you believing that he believes it," Veronica replied. Layla ignored her as she moved to her armor cabinet.

"All right, do we have everything?" Layla asked as she started hopping into her assassin armor's body suit.

"Yes, we're fine," Veronica said, sounding exasperated and anxious at the same time.

Shaking the thought away, she started shoving extra ammunition into her armor pouches when Cass barged into the room.

"I can still cancel the trip, you know," the caravaneer said, making Layla groaned as she finished clasping her armor pieces on.

"No no no. You're not cancelling your first big order," the Courier said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever comes up, we'll handle."

The other woman looked unimpressed. "I can reschedule."

"No," Layla said firmly. "Go. We'll have this mess all be sorted out in a few days. It's all political bullshit, like that article on me. There's no sense to wreck the biggest job you've landed since getting back in the game."

Cass sighed. "Fine, but I'm not sure about all this." She grabbed an apple off Layla's desk and bit into it. The Courier gave her a sour look; that had been her breakfast.

"It's all a misunderstanding," Veronica spoke up. "Probably some pyscho with a gatling laser."

"I don't like it," Cass said over a mouthful of apple as she leaned against Layla's desk. "Storm's brewing."

"No one does, but we'll get to the bottom of it," Layla said, trying to sound calming, "so long as we-"

"Urgent message for 'Layla Granville!' a securitron's voice boomed in the hallway.

Cass leaned over to open the door, and the robot rolled in.

"You are requested to come to the NCR Embassy immediately for questioning concerning the death of Governor Dennis Crocker!"

*.*.*

Ranger Gladys Thanes looked over the report she'd been handed with a sneer. She was used to grisly murders; they were her bread and butter, but this had the added benefit of a complete political shit storm.

"Who's in charge?" she heard someone cry from the entry way of the building. Thanes nearly got herself pissed off thinking some idiot had let in a random civilian, but she got the feeling she knew who it was.

Turning the corner into the foyer, she found her guess was correct: Layla Granville had arrived. By the time Thanes reached the other woman, she'd found the two stretchers covered with bloody sheets.

"I'm Ranger Thanes," she said, getting the girl's attention. "I'm in charge of this investigation."

The Courier looked up at her, then back to the bodies.

"Is that him? Is he really dead?"

"The governor and his secretary were shot to death last night," the ranger confirmed. Granville's face paled as she covered her mouth.

"Liza too?"

Thanes nodded. "Were you friendly with her?"

The Courier bit her lip and took a deep breath before answering, "Not really. We spoke often because I was in here a lot, but…" She let out a wavering laugh. "I think she hated me."

Thanes nodded, then took out her notebook and a pencil and turned to the pages she'd put aside for Granville. After noting the information about the secretary, she decided to start in with her questions. The Courier looked pretty spooked about the situation, making it a perfect time to get the truth out of her.

"Where were you last night at 11:00PM?" the ranger asked. Granville looked away from the blood splatters on the wall with a startled expression.

"Eleven? It happened at eleven?" she asked, Thanes nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"I only left here around 10:50," she answered. "I would have barely been back at the 38 by then." She looked at the blood on Liza's desk. "If only I'd stayed... Why didn't anyone hear it?" she asked.

"Must have used a silencer," Thanes answered. The ranger saw the other woman's expression change somewhat, turning more thoughtful.

"I must have been one of the last people to see them alive." She looked up at the ranger. "Am I a suspect?"

"Not as of right now..." Thanes said, crossing her arms over her chest, "but don't leave the Mojave."

Granville nodded, face grim. "How could I?" Her eyes wandered back to the covered bodies. "Who's handling his personal arraignments?"

"General Manning; they were old friends. He'll make an official statement later." Thanes scratched the back of her head. "The funeral's tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" the girl whipped her head around. "He's not going back to California?"

"No-"

"Is this Layla Granville?" Came a voice from behind them as Thanes was about to elaborate. The ranger only barely kept a groan from escaping her throat. She noticed Granville giving her a curious look as she turned toward the source of the voice.

"Yes," she answered stiffly. The man who'd walked up to them didn't seem to notice her tone. He seemed to focus intently on Granville.

"I'm Gordon Ross," the man said, holding out a hand. The Courier shook it warily.

"Nice to meet you," she answered. "I think you have me at a disadvantage."

"I was sent by the NCR government to investigate this matter," he answered. Granville looked confused.

"I thought Ranger Thanes was in charge here?" she asked.

"So did I," Thanes spoke up. Ross gave her a warning look, then turned his gaze back on the shorter woman.

"The state department wanted more than one perspective on this," he answered cryptically.

"Ah," the Courier responded. "Do you have any suspects?"

"I have a few leads," the man answered plainly. Granville looked back at the bodies on the stretchers. Thanes saw the other woman's hands shake as she bit her lip.

"Whoever did this killed one of the few people who wanted the Mojave at peace… and a good man."

"Assassins don't tend to care about the people they kill," Thanes said dourly.

"I think they cared about what he represented," Ross added. "Killing him was a very specific message to the Mojave and the NCR."

The Courier merely nodded as she stared at the covered bodies.

*.*.*

Layla knew she was a public figure. Well, she'd found out two days ago. Either way, that meant she was supposed to present a certain image. She'd been very calm on the walk to the Moajve Outpost, and she'd been stoic while she was greeted by the rangers and various cabinet and council members attending the funeral. But the moment General Manning started the eulogy, she finally broke down crying.

Layla was at the front of the group gathered around Crocker's burial mound near the Outposts' statue. Cass and Veronica were further back in the group, and she really wished they were closer.

"Dennis' will," Manning continued, "said he wanted his service here, at the gateway between California and the Mojave. He always told me that he felt honored to be here as the NCR and Mojave joined peacefully. And he said he'd always be grateful for those who helped make that a possibility; people like Chief Hanlon, Colonel James Hsu and Layla Granville."

Layla started crying harder than before. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and looked up to find Colonel Hsu giving her a sad smile. She managed to get her sobbing down to a few hiccups as Manning brought the eulogy to a close.

"And now, as we lay this man to rest, we can take joy in knowing his pain is over. What remains is his legacy and the memories we hold of him."

*.*.*

"Dennis had already tried to get the girl to let go of him, but she kept screaming about the Gomorrah and that she still wanted her 'Happy Ending!'"

The group gathered around Manning in the Outpost bar broke into laughter. The general continued. "As it turned out, one of the new hookers looked just liked him."

The group started howling. Manning nudged Layla. "Tell them what you found out."

Layla grinned. "I was over at the Gomorrah trying to talk to Cachino when I saw him; this guy looked JUST like Crocker, so I flagged him over." She dissolved into giggles, eventually pulling herself together. "His stage name was Ambassador Cocker and his specialty was 'desk jobs.' Apparently he wasn't very popular."

Once the responding round of laughter died down, the group broke up and started milling around the reception. Layla made her way over to Veronica and Cass, who seemed to be arguing about something. The Courier had the impression she knew what this was about.

"We're leaving in a few minutes. I don't think she should be alone," Cass said, sounding annoyed.

"Neither do I, but she's getting questioned by the NCR, and I have to go."

"Hey," Layla said as she came upon the two. "Talking about me?"

"I have to get back to Hidden Valley," Veronica said, not missing a beat. "I mean, like, as soon as this is over. And I figure you don't want to get stuck in there while all this is going down."

"Right," Layla answered, "and Cass thinks I'll immediately get murdered if one of you isn't holding my hand."

"Right," Cass grumbled. "I'm cancelling the caravan."

"Cass," Layla said, letting an edge form in her voice, "I funded this new company of yours, and I expect things to go as scheduled."

The other woman gave her a withering look.

"Fine," she said gruffly, "I'm going, but when something blows up in your face, I don't want to hear about how much you wished I was here shooting your problems off your ass."

"It'll be all right," Layla said firmly. "If I need backup, I've got Veronica and Raul and ED-E and the whole NCR army kicking around the Mojave to help."

Cass still looked ornery, and Layla reached out to squeeze her shoulder.

"I'm going to be okay," she said. "Please just go and do what you need to." The older woman's hard look softened somewhat.

"I get the feeling what I need to do is take care of me and mine," Cass grumbled. "But I'll go. Just actually watch your back for once, and quit being a dumbass."

"I love you too," Layla said, crossing her arms over her chest. Cass surprised her a moment later by pulling her into a hug.

"I'll be back in a few weeks. This horseshit better be over by then."

"I hope so," Layla said as she squeezed back. Cass let her go and reached for her bag.

"My group's already at the gate. You two gonna see me off?"

Veronica and Layla both nodded and followed the other woman as she left the bar. Soon they were at the outpost gate as Cass double-checked her crew and brahmin.

"All right, we're ready," Cass said. "Let's get going."

"Be careful," Layla said. The older woman laughed.

"You're the one who'd better be careful." She pulled both Layla and Veronica into a bear hug.

"If anything happens, send a courier," Cass said as she let go. "And tell Raul I'm pissed that he didn't see me off."

"We'll be sure to do that," Veronica said. The caravaneer nodded, then rejoined her group as they started moving out of the outpost.

Layla watched her walk off with a strange feeling of disquiet. She almost had to stop herself from running after her and begging her to stay. It was Cass' fault; the woman had gotten her spooked about all this mess.

"I think Cass and Raul are doing it," Veronica said as she watched the caravan head West.

"_What?_!" Layla cried. "What do you mean?"

"They're always hanging out together, and she's gotten all weird about him."

"So? I hang out with people all the time; that doesn't mean we're… you know."

"The last person you hung out with and got weird about was Boone."

"Huh…" She couldn't argue that. "When Raul gets back, we're going to have to pry it out of him."

"Agreed," the scribe answered, turning to look at something behind her. "Looks like you've got company."

Layla turned to find Chief Hanlon walking her way.

"Hey, kiddo," The man said as he approached.

"Hey Chief," she said, forcing a little cheer into her voice. The old man gave her a knowing look.

"I hate funerals," he said in a grumble. "And they always seem to be someone younger than me."

"That can't be true all the time," Layla said, making Hanlon laugh.

"When you get to be one of the oldest people around, then yeah, it's pretty much true." His face fell into a more serious look as he continued. "I want you to come by Camp Golf tomorrow."

"Is this about the investigation?" Layla asked, feeling her stomach clench slightly.

"Among other things," Hanlon answered. "I'll send a few rangers to pick you up at ten."

"Pick me up?"

"Oh, I've had a few warnings about seeing to your personal safety," the old man laughed.

"Oh…" Layla grimaced. "From who?"

"Different sources, some very official, some caravaneers who mentioned where her boot would be going if something went wrong."

The Courier shook her head with sigh. "I'll be there."

* * *

Thank you for reading! And a brief reminder: wear sun block when you go to the beach. Put it on BEFORE you get there. Don't end up like me, crispy and red :(


	4. A Friend Indeed

Layla liked to dress for the occasion. After a safe place to sleep, running hot water and more than enough food to survive, having a wardrobe was one of the nicest perks that came with her current situation. When she was younger, she usually had a ratty, pieced together excuse for armor, and, if she was lucky, a pair of pants and a shirt to change into. Now she had an outfit for every situation she could think of.

She finished strapping on the chest plate of her assassin suit. The rangers were due to pick her up in a few minutes. With a heavily-armed, well-trained escort, she usually wouldn't bother with her good armor, but she'd decided to honor her promise to Cass and better defend herself… at least away from the Strip. It'd be a cold day in hell when she willingly stopped wearing her arsenal of cocktail dresses.

Shaking the thought away, she bent down to her weapon chest and started digging through her ammunition. Layla had sent a courier to Utah with her normal shopping list: .45 ammo, tequila and datura for antivenom. Hopefully the courier would return soon; she was starting to run low on ammo for her snake-gripped .45.

She'd also sent a very emotional letter to Joshua about the rotten article written about her. Looking back, she wished she hadn't; Joshua had been a constant source of advice for months, but she was embarrassed she'd poured her heart out over that article.

Just as she finished double checking her bag, a securitron's voice rang out from the hallway.

"There are visitors waiting in the lobby!"

"Thank you, I'll be there in a minute!" she called as she strapped her bag on. "ED-E, time to go!"

The robot zoomed over with a cheery beep, and they departed together in the elevator. A few moments later, the Courier stepped out into the lobby.

"Merritt!" Layla called, delighted as she recognized one of the two rangers waiting for her. The ranger turned a broad smile in her direction as she approached.

"Miss Granville," he said in greeting. "It's good to see you." He looked at the other ranger with him. "I don't know if you remember-"

"Oh… hello, Ranger Keller," Layla said to the other man, who grinned.

"I'm sure it's hard to forget our first meeting," Keller said. "I'm sure it's hard to forget the guy who nearly arrested you for running drugs."

Layla felt the blood start rushing to her face at the thought.

Merritt gave her an understanding look. "Well, she did a lot better on my mission."

"I saw the report on that one," Keller said. "She managed to kill everyone before getting any information."

"I didn't kill _everyone_," Layla retorted. "And I wasn't about to sit around and let them torture my sniper."

Keller shook his head. "Merritt, you have a knack for setting up terrible teams."

"… that get results," the other ranger added with a grin. He turned back to Layla.

"Chief Hanlon's expecting us. We should get going."

"Don't want him to worry, huh?" Layla said as they all exited the casino. "Do you guys have anything specific about someone trying to kill me?"

Keller and Merritt looked at each other, and Keller sighed.

"The Chief was right about couriers being a bunch of busybodies," he said with a snort. "We don't have anything specific. Yet."

"But if all this chaos is supposed to upset NCR interests, killing you would certainly do that," Merritt explained.

"This meeting isn't some kind of trap to lock me in Camp Golf until things blow over… right?"

Keller laughed. "I can't imagine what kind of hell keeping you against your will would be. No. Chief just has some information on the Followers Outpost shooting."

"Ah," Layla said. "And did he decide to send reminders of my best and worst undercover operations on purpose?"

"No," Merritt answered. "Ranger Keller and I needed to speak before Keller moved on to his next mission. I had already volunteered to pick you up, so he came along."

"And it always helps to get fresh perspective while we're at it," Keller said thoughtfully. "I heard you've got a knack for picking things out." He saw the girl nod and continued. "We've got a problem with raiders in the area."

"Can't imagine there's many left around here," Layla said, "after the Brotherhood started patrolling and the Powder Gangers getting all but wiped out."

"Our problem has been with the Vipers."

"Vipers?" Layla scoffed. "Unless they get the jump on you, they're not that big a deal."

"Normally, we'd agree with you," Merritt said, "but this group is led by River Jack. How much do you know about the Vipers?"

"I know they're raiders, and they used to be a real problem… but that's about it," Layla admitted.

"You know how the founders of the NCR originally came out of Vault 15?"

"Yeah," Layla answered, "so did the Great Khans."

"Very good," Merritt said with a smile. "The groups that would become the Jackals and the Vipers also came from Vault 15."

"Really?" Layla gaped. "I didn't know that… how overcrowded was that Vault?"

"Fairly," Merritt said with a laugh. "At any rate, the Vipers were just normal raiders for a long time. The story goes that one day, their leader fell into a nest of pit vipers. They're gigantic snakes."

Layla nodded as she managed to keep herself from shuddering; she hated regular snakes; big ones wouldn't be any better. She noted the bored look on Keller's face as Merritt continued.

"He survived the many snake bites he received. And when he found his clan again, he converted them to a cult base off the snakes and his 'rebirth.'"

"That's what the Vipers are?" Layla asked, amazed. "All I've ever seen of them is shabby raiding."

"That's what they were," Merritt corrected. "About forty years ago, they killed a prominent member of the Brotherhood of Steel in California. The Brotherhood all but wiped them out in retaliation."

Layla frowned as that reminded her of the current problem. She briefly wondered how Veronica was doing at Hidden Valley. Letting go of the thought, she focused on Merritt again.

"The groups you see around here are just Vipers in name; remnants that don't really follow any of the old ways," he continued. "That is, until River Jack showed up."

"And who's he?" the Courier asked.

"He's the son of one of the last real leaders of the cult," Merritt explained. "I doubt he's been able to follow the 'old ways' as there aren't any pit vipers around here. He's kept a tight lid on his group, though; they've given up raiding and moved on to mercenary work."

"Ah," Layla said. "So that's it. You guys think they're causing some of the chaos going on."

"Word is, if you're looking to have someone put down in the Mojave, you go find River Jack," Keller said. "So I get to go look for him and find out what he's been up to."

"Well, that sounds unpleasant," Layla said. "Be careful."

"What kind of life would an undercover ranger live if he was careful about anything?" Keller laughed.

***.*.***

"No, we don't think you killed Crocker," Hanlon said dismissively.

"Oh?" Layla said, sagging in relief. She had parted ways with Keller and Merritt and found the old man on his balcony. She hadn't come out directly and asked the Chief if she was still a suspect, but he'd guessed all the same.

She frowned a moment later and couldn't help asking, "How do you know, exactly?"

"Well, besides our apparently renown gut-instinct," the old man answered, "we like to rely on evidence. Ranger Thanes found proof of your innocence pretty early in her investigation."

"What was it?" Layla asked, now thoroughly intrigued.

"Trajectory. You'd have to be about a foot taller to fire the shots that killed both Liza O'Malley and Crocker."

"You can tell that?" the Courier gaped, impressed.

"It's a real boring and mathematical process, but yes. Little nitpicking things like that are Thanes' specialty. There's also the matter of no motive, and we've got quite a few eyewitnesses that saw you on the Strip unarmed with no blood stains."

"Ah… well, it's good to know I'm cleared."

"I'm sure someone'll put out a searing report about you murdering your way through the NCR," Hanlon said, and Layla felt her cheeks turn red.

"You saw the article, then?"

"Everyone in the Mojave has by now, kiddo."

The Courier groaned as she rubbed her forehead. She heard the old man laugh.

"Don't let tabloids get to you," Hanlon said sagely. "They'll only get worse if you resist them."

"That's just great," Layla sighed. Shaking her head, she decided on rapidly changing the subject. "Have you heard back about the Followers Outpost shooting?" she asked, which dimmed the smile on the old man's face.

"I've got a report we should probably go over," Hanlon answered, "but first, let's get some lunch. You hungry?"

"Oh." Layla wanted to argue for getting to that report right away, but her stomach grumbled. "Yeah, I guess…" she said reluctantly. Hanlon laughed as he got out of his seat.

"Let's go, then. Maybe we can get someone to break out the steaks again."

"Pity steak sound good," Layla agreed as they left the balcony. Hanlon closed the door and hesitated for a moment.

"I'm retiring," he said simply as he turned back to Layla. The girl gaped at him.

"You… When?" she managed to squeak.

"It was going to be the end of the month… but I guess I'd better see this mess through." He sighed, "I'm getting too old for this. Want to get out before my mind goes."

Layla was about to argue about the state of the man's mind when Hanlon held up a hand.

"Did you hear-" He was cut off by the sound of an explosion.

Wherever it had been, it was close; Layla was knocked back into the railing of the upper floor. Something crashed into her, and then she couldn't see anything.

It wasn't until a couple helmeted veteran rangers pulled the fallen door off her that she realized the explosion had affected her hearing. She saw their heads move, but couldn't begin to understand if they were saying anything to her. They looked at each other, and one leaned over to pull her to her feet.

Still shocked, Layla looked down at herself to see if she'd been wounded. She saw no blood on her armor.

Hanlon came into her view. He hadn't fared as well; there was a cut down his cheek that was bleeding pretty badly. She couldn't hear him any better, but could at least make out some of what he was saying by his lip movements.

She thought he said someone was coming, but before she could process it, the rangers were hustling her into one of the bedrooms.

"Lock this door. We'll go back up the chief," came the muffled voice of the ranger to her right as her hearing started to return.

"Wait!" Layla cried. "I can help."

"Honey, you're probably the target," the other ranger said.

"I-"

"We don't have time to argue, princess; you're getting locked up in the tower."

With that, they closed the door. Layla gaped it for a moment, then tried the knob. She at first thought it had been locked, but looking closer, she found the rangers had broken the mechanism. This door wouldn't open unless someone knocked it down.

Extreme irritation rolled over her. Readying her shotgun, she backed up a pace and threw herself into the door. It didn't budge.

"God DAMN it," she cried, trying again. The old resort had been made well; the solid wood door wasn't coming down by her power alone.

She kicked the door in frustration, she thought for a moment to call for ED-E, who hadn't been locked in with her. But he wouldn't be able to get the door down either. Grimacing, she moved to look out the window. NCR personnel scrambled around the courtyard. There were no enemies that she could see.

As she was trying to determine the best way down, a loud thud came from the door.

The moment of relief that one of the rangers had come to free her was short-lived; they would have warned her away from the door. The thought had barely registered before the door was knocked in. Two men barged in, both in heavy armor.

They clearly weren't rangers, so Layla opened fire. One man went down with a gargle, but the other one gave her a shocked look. She'd expected the man to shoot at her, but instead he turned and ran out of the room.

Layla chased after him, slightly confused. She followed him out into the hallway and down the stairs. She saw him put his hand to his mouth and make a loud, shrill noise, like a bird call. Before she could figure it out, she ducked down as someone started firing an automatic rifle.

"It's suppressing fire," she heard one of the rangers holler. "They're retreating!"

"Don't let them get away!" someone else yelled.

"Too late," the first called back. That was followed by a surge of loud swears.

***.*.***

In the end, three of the attackers had been killed, and none captured. There was no sign of the survivors or even how many there'd been.

"What kind of horseshit is this!" Hanlon cried. "Fucking God-damned HORSESHIT!"

He turned to yell at the ranger closest to him to question the troopers in the courtyard and found Layla Granville giving him a wide-eyed stare, her robot hovering just above her.

"Who let you out of that room?" he bellowed. The Courier's eyes narrowed.

"The guys attacking the place," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's another body in the room. Thanks for locking me away like a New Vegas virgin."

"Listen, kiddo, I've got the NCR brass demanding to keep you in one piece, never mind a whole unit of snipers."

Granville groaned at that, then looked like she was about to make a retort when Ranger Bellamy approached.

"Sorry, Chief, I don't think Layla was the target," he said, handing Hanlon a pile of scorched fabric and machinery.

"What is it?" the Courier asked.

"An exploded satchel charge," Bellamy answered. "You didn't tell anyone else about your meeting today, right?"

"Only Merritt and Keller," Hanlon said. "You didn't say anything, right?" he asked Layla, who shook her head.

Bellamy nodded. "This was thrown up on your balcony, Chief. They were after you."

Hanlon had been convinced this life couldn't throw him any more surprises, but he hadn't been expecting that.

"Now why would anyone want to kill an old codger like me?" he said out loud. "Could be they saw Granville on the balcony and threw the charge too late."

"I don't think so," Layla said. "They retreated after they saw me."

"What?" Hanlon said. "Are you sure?"

"They didn't attack me," she explained. "I shot one when they broke down the door, but the other ran as soon as he saw me and sounded the retreat."

"Huh…" Hanlon let that roll around his head for a moment. He noticed the bewildered look that had come over the Courier's face.

"Why would they run?" she asked thoughtfully. The adrenaline in her system must be wearing off. She looked at the chief. "What does it mean?"

"Hell if I know, kiddo," Hanlon answered. "But I aim to find out. Looks like retirement's gonna have to wait.

* * *

Thanks for reading, I hope you all have been enjoying the story! I'm going to start adding covers for all the stories, but it'll probably take some time. Anyway, thanks again, and have a good rest of the weekend!


	5. Can of Worms

"_Due to the recent string of violent attacks on caravans in the area, the NCR has already promised to send more soldiers into the Mojave…"_ Mr. New Vegas reported as Layla reached for her coffee cup.

"Bleh," the girl said as she took a drink; her Zion Coffee was cold. She'd only made a little and didn't feel like going through the rigmarole to make more.

She could remember a time when there'd been a whole group of people clamoring for coffee; they'd usually have to make more than one pot, especially if Arcade and Boone were both in. They drank the stuff like they'd wither and die if they didn't get it.

The same group would be gathered around her while she tried to figure out whatever business she had to do. At the time, she'd occasionally find the noise and confusion annoying. Now she found she missed it dearly.

The image of Cass walking away from the Mojave Outpost filled her mind again, and she had to quell the burst of melancholy that came with it. Half of her was glad she hadn't ruined the other woman's plans; the other half wished she'd asked Cass to stay.

She shook the thought away and looked back at the report on the table. After all the confusion at Camp Golf, Hanlon had only briefly gone over the information from the Followers Outpost shooting. So, when it got late, the old man gave Layla a copy of the report and had her escorted back to the Strip.

She'd looked over the information several times already. The cold, hard data didn't shed any light on what had happened. Layla gave the pictures in the folder a very brief glance before stuffing them in the back. The Courier had seen plenty of dead people in her life, but having a picture of a murdered friend in her possession was something else entirely.

The report hadn't provided any answers as to who'd attacked the Follower's Outpost and murdered five people. And until Julie Farkas made a report on what had been stolen, Layla wouldn't know if the Brotherhood of Steel could be linked to the crime; both groups had been given ED-E's old Enclave files, and the Followers had stored them at the Outpost.

Layla had no clue what would happen if the Brotherhood turned out to be the ones who'd attacked the Followers. It didn't add up in her mind; Elder McNamara seemed to genuinely want peace with the NCR. It didn't make sense that he'd throw it away so casually.

If it had been the work of anyone from the Brotherhood, it couldn't have been ordered by McNamara. There were plenty of hotheads in the organization, especially the paladins. It wasn't so hard to believe someone would go rouge.

Either way, she didn't have enough evidence to suggest anything concrete. She stared at her cold coffee for a moment, wishing she had someone to talk to about this. The same lonely feeling that had been following her lately started pressing on her chest as she sat in the quiet suite.

Fortunately, before the loneliness sank into depression, her thoughts were broken up by the sound of the elevator doors opening.

"There is a delivery in the lobby for you!" a securitron announced.

"Thank you!" Layla called, all but running to the robot. "I'll go down and meet them."

She rode the elevator down and found herself overjoyed to see a courier waiting for her.

"Harpoon!" Layla cried as she recognized the woman. "How was Utah?"

"Still full of yao guai," the courier deadpanned.

"Were you able to get everything?" Layla asked as she accepted the package from the other woman.

"They usually have everything gathered before I even show up," Harpoon said.

Layla smiled as she reached into her pocket. "This is for Mr. Nash," she said, handing over a bag of caps. "And this is for you." She handed another pouch to the woman, who finally cracked the slightest grin.

"Harpoon, I don't know why you're not a merc," Layla said with a laugh. "Money and a gunfight seem to be the only things that makes you happy."

"Not true," the other woman retorted. "I like scotch too. See you around, Layla."

Layla waved as the other woman left, somewhat grateful to speak to someone who hadn't mentioned her unfortunate press coverage.

_She didn't know because she's been out of the state, _her mind sniffed. Layla ignored it as she set the package down and pulled it open.

Inside were the items she'd ordered; ammo, datura and a bottle of tequila. Looking at the liquor brought a brief burst of sadness; it usually didn't last more than a few days with the whole group around. With no one to share it, she'd probably have it kicking around for months.

Her melancholy evaporated as she found a letter carefully tucked into the side of the package.

'_Layla'_ was written on the front of the envelope in Joshua Graham's careful, tight handwriting. She'd always found herself somewhat jealous of his clear penmanship. Hers was so bad it had actually cost her a job back in California; she'd either have to write out her letters back to Joshua twice to make sure they were legible or type them.

The Courier's last letter to him had been about the newspaper articles. She'd been conflicted writing him about it; somewhere between embarrassed and genuinely wanting Joshua's advice on the matter. Wasting no further time, she opened the envelope.

'_Layla,_

_I am sorry to hear of the troubles that follow you. That you would be spoken of so shamefully is an unfortunate reality of the position you find yourself in. Men who crave power can be driven to attack the undeserving._

_The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.__ Any who would believe the accusations of those who do not face you to speak them are hardly worth your concern. And though you should not let the cruel words of cowards upset you; do not disregard that they do so. Threats can come in many forms. _

_Protect yourself, especially if your friends are not with you. And if you find you ever need a respite from the problems of the Mojave, you are always welcome in Zion Valley._

_God be with you,_

_Joshua'_

Layla smiled as she refolded the letter; going off to Zion for a while was actually tempting, but the rangers had asked her to stay in the area. Besides, if she was getting scrutinized by the media, it probably wasn't a good idea to go visiting the former Malpais Legate.

As she tucked the letter into her pocket, the front doors opened, and an NCR soldier stepped through. The private, whom Layla had never seen before, spotted her and made his way over.

"Miss Layla Granville?" the soldier said. Layla didn't know this one; that would have been unusual a while ago, but there had been a lot of new troopers in the area lately.

"That's me," she answered. The soldier, who looked about eighteen, nodded and spoke.

"Investigator Ross would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience."

"Oh," Layla said. With any luck, the man had found out who killed Crocker. "Tell him he can meet me here in the casino level in a hour."

"Yes ma'am," the kid said, then headed out.

*.*.*

Layla had cleaned out the bar area of the Lucky 38's casino floor for meetings. She'd figured a neutral place would be good if anyone needed to talk to her, so she replaced the small tables with one long one and gave the place a good cleaning. This was a better alternative to having people come up to the presidential suite. She didn't like having business meetings in her home.

She heard the door open and turned to see Gordon Ross enter. It was always interesting to see someone come into the 38 for the first time. Most just looked around, some were awed, and some, like Ross, were unimpressed. She made her way over to the door to greet him.

"Good evening, Mr. Ross," Layla said as she approached.

"Miss Granville," he said in reply. They walked back to the old bar area, she sat at the head of the table, where she'd set her notes. She hadn't known what the man wanted to talk about for sure, so she'd decided to bring the notebooks she'd filled with information on the various deals she'd brokered in the area. Crocker's death had to be political, so some of her data might be useful.

"Please sit," Layla said, and the man took a spot at the table. He pulled out a notebook from an inner pocket of his neat suit and looked at a few pages, not speaking. The minutes dragged on.

"Did you find any new information about Crocker's murder?" Layla finally asked.

"Miss Granville," the man said, somewhat harshly, "although I am looking into Governor Crocker's assassination, that is only one facet of my work out here."

"Oh," Layla said awkwardly. "I… so what exactly are you doing?"

"Asking questions," the man answered stiffly. "You own an apartment in Novac, correct?"

"Well, I rent it…" she trailed off. "No, I guess Cliff gave me the room… I figured Ranger Andy didn't mind me keeping it." Since Cliff had died, the old former ranger had become something of a leader in the community. She shook her head. "Sorry. Yes, I have a room there."

"No need for apology," Ross said. "Seems Novac has had a lot of trouble with people dying."

He said the last part strangely, enough to set Layla on edge. She managed to stop the frown that wanted to form on her face.

"When did you first arrive in Novac?"

"Oh… uh…" She chewed her lip. "It was the second week of November."

"What was your purpose in going there?"

"I was on the way to New Vegas, the Long 15 was still blocked from all the Deathclaws, so I stopped there for the night," Layla answered.

"You stayed longer than one night."

"I uh…" Layla was starting to get confused at this line of questioning. "Um, yes. There was some trouble at the REPCONN site so I helped them with it."

"Why did you help them?"

"I… I'm not sure why this is important. What are you trying to find out?" Layla asked.

"I'm confirming testimony," Ross said as he gave her a searching look. Please answer the question."

Layla almost refused, not really sure where this was going, but decided against it. "Manny Vargas had some information on the Great Khans who attacked me at Good Springs, so I helped at REPCONN in exchange."

Ross nodded as he continued jotting notes into his book. He looked up as he asked the next question.

"Were you in town the night Jeannie May Crawford was murdered?"

Layla would later be very proud of herself for the restraint she used. She finally realized what the man had been sent to New Vegas to investigate: her.

"I was actually out rescuing a group of people the Legion captured," the Courier said as she regained her mental footing. "We came back in the morning."

The man looked up from his notes at that. "You and Craig Boone?"

"Yes." Layla felt the back of her neck get hot at the mention of Boone. "I'd been informed of a camp nearby where they were holding captives of the Nipton slaughter. We freed them after taking out the Legionaries guarding them."

"Is there anyone who could corroborate that statement?"

The Courier frowned. It had been the middle of the night, and no one else had been around-

"Oh!" Layla started. "If you can track down Malcolm Holmes, he actually spoke with us right before we left. He's a trader, but I'm not sure what his normal route is…"

The investigator was now frowning as he wrote into his notebook. A moment later he looked back up at Layla.

"Why did Boone leave town with you?" he asked.

"I'm assuming, since you've been prying into me and my friends, that you know what happened to his wife?" Layla managed to keep the edge out of her voice. Ross merely nodded, though the Courier sincerely doubted he had the whole story.

"Would you want to stick around town after something like that? Sometimes I wonder why anyone stuck around Novac after three Legion attacks."

"Three?" Ross asked, looking up at her. "There was Carla Boone's kidnapping, and the attack during the Hoover Dam battle, but I wasn't aware of a third."

"Jeanie May…" Layla said pointedly, "She was killed by the Legion, right? I mean, they'd already kidnapped Carla. I figured they were trying to do the same with Jeanie May; she put up a fight, and they killed her."

The investigator looked down at his notebook again. "Hmm… Yes, that is what Ranger Andy thought as well…"

Oh, she was going to kiss that old man when she saw him next. Ross looked up from his notes a moment later.

"Why did Boone go with you, specifically?"

Layla shrugged. "He didn't want to stay in Novac, and I was leaving the next day. I think he felt bad for me… I wasn't very good with a gun back then," she said, trying not to let a smile tug at her mouth.

The man across from her was still frowning as he sorted through his information. A moment later, he looked back up.

"Thank you, Miss Granville. I think I have what I need for now." He stood, and Layla rose as well.

"If you need anything else, just let me know," she said.

"Hm… yes," the man said distractedly. "Thank you."

*.*.*

Once Ross was gone, Layla retreated up to the Presidential Suite. She felt she'd handled things well, but the whole encounter made her want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head.

It was only nine, but she'd had enough for one day; She got into bed after grabbing a handful of Fancy Lads cakes and her bottle of tequila. Sitting back on the headboard, she dragged a magazine onto her lap as she unwrapped one of her snacks. After several minutes of staring into space, she realized she hadn't even looked at the magazine.

She hadn't thought about Jeannie May in a while. There'd been a time that the mere mention or remembrance of the woman would enrage her. Time had cooled that rage down somewhat, though she'd never get over the woman she'd so easily trusted.

Layla could remember guiltily that when she questioned the people of Novac, she'd come to the same conclusion Jeanie May had fed her: Carla had run back to New Vegas, and Boone couldn't cope with it. If she hadn't into No Bark, who'd seen nearly the whole incident, she would never have found the truth.

She'd probably have ended up dead without Boone helping her, and he… well, he'd been a powder keg at that point in his life.

Layla sighed as she closed the magazine on her lap; she wasn't reading it. Her mind was still whirling from her meeting with Ross. The investigator seemed satisfied with her explanation of Jeanie May's death, at least she hoped so. If he didn't buy it, she'd just tell him she had killed the woman.

_What are you going to say, exactly?_ her brain groused.

"I confronted her about the receipt and it got violent," Layla said.

_We'll work on it,_ the prissy voice in her head said, sounding exasperated.

Satisfied that her brain wasn't going to rebel on her (though she didn't really know how that would work), she piled the uneaten cakes on the nightstand and got under her covers.

Hoping to sleep right away, Layla wasn't surprised to find that rest wouldn't come easily. The suite was too quiet, and when it was dark, she could feel the loneliness and the increasing feeling of vulnerability crowd her head.

She didn't know when Raul would be back. Cass would be gone for weeks. She didn't know where Boone was, and her chest ached at the thought. Crocker had been the one who'd tell her when 1st Recon got moved around. Another road cut off, and another friend gone.

Layla sighed as she rolled over and closed her eyes. If Veronica didn't come back or she didn't at least get some word from Hidden Valley by tomorrow, she'd go down and find out for herself. It wasn't the smartest idea; the Brotherhood had been known to overreact to political situations like this. But Layla had been the one to broker peace with the group, so she was going to see what she could do to calm things down.

The creaking of the old casino made Layla grumble into her pillow. It was still too quiet.

"ED-E?" the Courier called, and a moment later the eyebot floated into the room.

"Do you mind hanging out in here for a while?"

The eyebot beeped cheerfully and hovered closer to the bed. His speakers crackled quietly to life with the sounds of Radio New Vegas.

"Thank you," Layla said to the robot, blessedly feeling her eyelids start to droop. ED-E chirped softly as she started drifting off to sleep.

*.*.*

When she got up the next morning, Layla came the conclusion that there was only one way to improve her mood: pancakes. Fortunately, it was Sunday, which meant the White Gloves would have their 'Champagne Brunch.' So she put on her nicest dress, made sure her hair was at least slightly tamed, then headed off to the Ultra-Luxe.

It felt somewhat odd seeking out the White Gloves of all people for companionship, but Layla really didn't want to wear out her welcome with Swank. Marjorie and her followers were stiff, to say the least, but they were polite. Layla had to hope the nasty rumors floating around about her hadn't soured the White Gloves regard of her.

As she passed through the gate that lead to the Ultra Luxe and the Tops, she found a crowd gathered around the small grassy area beyond the sidewalk. Layla moved closer, thinking for a moment that it was a street performer. They usually didn't last long before the MPs would send them on their way.

Coming closer, the Courier saw that she was very wrong.

"Keep back!" came a shout from the center of the crowd. "If you people don't move back I'm going to have you all arrested!"

Shouldering her way through the crowd to the area the MPs had blocked off, she found out what the trouble was:

Gordon Ross was sprawled on the ground, suit covered in blood and wide, dead eyes staring at the sky.

* * *

Thanks for reading! And if any of my readers have kids (and are dudes), happy Father's Day!

Also, I have some clever reviewers, but I can say no more ;)


	6. Summons

Layla paced outside the embassy building, waiting for Ranger Thanes to come out and speak with her. Her mind swirled. There had been so much happening so fast lately, she was having trouble keeping up with everything.

Ross had been murdered, on the Strip, and apparently no one had seen it. How was that even possible? There were supposed to be more MPs on the Strip now, never mind the regular throng of people that wandered the area at night.

"Granville?" Ranger Thanes called as she stepped out of the building. Layla nearly ran to the other woman, but came up short seeing the dour look on the ranger's face.

"Come in," she said. "We need to talk." Layla nodded, feeling her innards twist.

The ranger led her to the MP's office and sat her at a desk. She moved around and sat at the other side. She patted a folder on the desk and picked up a pencil.

"I have to ask you some questions," she said, sounding strained.

Layla nodded.

"Where were you last night, around one in the morning?"

"In the Lucky 38, asleep," Layla answered. "And no, only ED-E could confirm that."

The ranger nodded, frowning more so as she jotted notes.

"Would you be willing to hand over your robot for us to examine?"

"No," Layla answered automatically. The little eyebot was chock full of secrets that no one needed to know. Besides, she couldn't imagine ED-E would want any part of that mess.

Thanes gave her a carefully even look, and eventually Layla felt something snap in her from the tension.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong. Do you think I did it?"

The ranger sighed heavily. "No, I don't. But my opinion doesn't connect with what I've found. You use an auto .45, correct?"

"Yes," Layla answered, "but there have to be others."

"Not many, but you're right," the other woman replied.

"The bullets lined up this time," she sighed. "Which only proves someone short shot him, still not enough to be a problem for you."

"Then what is it?" Layla pressed.

"The real problem is motive: Ross was investigating you, and the last time he spoke with anyone, he'd been telling the MPs it might be necessary to arrest you.

Layla stared at the other woman, mouth going slack. "He came to me with questions, but he'd seemed like he was satisfied with my answers."

Thanes sighed, "He never came back from your meeting. We found his notebook; the last few pages had been torn out."

_So it looked like whatever leads he'd followed up on you had been damning, _her brain pointed out. The Courier rubbed her forehead. She had to put effort into keeping herself from shaking.

"I didn't kill him."

Thanes gave her a sympathetic look. "I don't think you did… but I can't ignore this evidence. Don't leave the Strip until we can get this sorted out."

"I-I won't go anywhere," Layla answered her.

"Good; if you do I'll have to post a warrant for your arrest."

***.*.***

Layla was starting to wish she'd run away to Zion. Not that it wouldn't have been big mess and probably ended badly when a pack of rangers came looking for her, but it would have been nice to be surrounded by friends again.

The Courier had moped around the Lucky 38 most of the day, wondering when she'd get arrested. Eventually she decided she had to go out and do something, or she was going to go mad. So she threw on pants and went out to buy something for dinner. The food vendor near the monorail station still had the best meat on the Strip, even better than the Ultra-Luxe.

The woman who ran it, Ruth-Ann, had been independent since before Layla had come to the area, not going through any particular caravan companies. When the NCR had taken control of the Strip, they'd wanted to replace her with a Crimson Caravan outpost (undoubtedly at the behest of the Crimson Caravan themselves). Layla actually had to use a favor from Crocker to keep Ruth-Ann in business.

The woman called Layla an angel, but the Courier just didn't want to lose out on the best food vendor on the Strip. She couldn't believe the Crimson Caravan would put up such quality.

She was almost there. Layla didn't know what she was going to buy, just whatever looked the best/was the worst for her. She had a pity party to get back to, after all.

"Layla Granville?" came a voice from behind her. She turned with a raised eyebrow to find a very young soldier facing her. This was another one she didn't recognize.

"Yes?" she answered the kid, and he held out a letter without a word. She took the envelope and opened it to find a very official-looking document inside.

'_Layla Granville,_

_You are to report to the Hall of Congress in Shady Sands at 0800 on October 19__th__, 2282. You will be provided a military escort during transit. This is not a request._

_Senator Harold Greene, Chairman Senate Committee on Unpatriotic Actions'_

She stared at the note, then looked back at the soldier.

"Is this real?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The director said to let you know your escort will be waiting at the north gate. We're scheduled to leave at 0600 on Tuesday."

"Am I being arrested?" Layla managed, the shock starting to fade into horror.

"No, ma'am. It's an informal hearing."

"Oh." That wasn't much better. "I uh, Ranger Thanes said I had to stay in the area."

"She knows about this," the kids said, sounding a little uncomfortable. "She said you were cleared to go."

"Ah," Layla said. "Well, uh, thank you… I-I'll be there on Tuesday."

"Thank you, Ma'am." The kid said, and left.

Layla stared after him.

***.*.***

ED-E buzzed irritably as Layla checked through the suite again. The beds were made, the dishes were clean, the oven was off, nothing overly perishable was in the fridge.

"Just a minute," she called to the eyebot as she checked her Pip-Boy for the time; she had another twenty minutes to make it to the Strip's north gate.

"I'll just be a minute," she called again. With her leaving, she didn't know when someone would be in the Lucky 38's presidential suite again. If she accidentally left the water running or one of the fans on, there could be a disaster when she got back.

_Won't the securitrons be checking for that kind of thing?_ Her mind said, sounding exasperated.

"Doesn't hurt to double check," she responded, making sure her computer was off.

Layla was not stalling; she was fine. She'd already had a good cry over this situation and her complete lack of friends to talk to about it. She'd informed Swank and Marjorie that she'd be in California for a while, and would be back (she hoped). She'd told the securitrons to tell anyone looking for her she'd be unreachable. She'd sent a courier to let Mr. Nash know as well.

Her bag was packed, her armor was on, her guns were loaded and she had spare ammo in her pack. She had food and water and bobby pins and her medical and repair kits and a couple letters she'd stuck in the spot she kept her 1st Recon beret in her armor. She was ready.

She didn't realize until ED-E knocked into her that she hadn't moved yet. She hadn't even heard him come in. The robot warbled warningly.

"Okay." She looked around the empty suite again and bit the inside of her cheek against the threat of tears. "Let's go."

Soon, the Courier emerged from the Lucky 38 and saw a group of four soldiers waiting for her at the Strip's North gate. As she approached, one stepped forward.

"I'm Sargent Rutter," the woman said. "This is Private Olson, Private Patt, and Private Elrod," she indicated the three men who made up the rest of the group. Layla nodded to each one as they were pointed out.

"Are you ready?" Rutter said brusquely, and Layla nodded again. The woman turned without another word and opened the gate.

Layla felt increasingly awkward as they walked down the 15, making their way toward the Mojave Outpost. No one spoke, and the soldiers had formed around her like a box. She glanced at the others; with the exception of Rutter, who looked about Layla's age, the soldiers didn't even look 18. She didn't recognize any of them.

It was going to be a very long walk to California if someone didn't break the ice, so Layla made an attempt.

"So, are you all from California?"

"I am and Patt is," Elrod said. "Olson's from the Mojave, and Sargent Rut-"

"Shut up, Elrod," Rutter growled, then stopped to turn to Layla.

"This isn't a social trip we're making. These 'soldiers' are all children, and I don't need them distracted by you, so keep quiet." Layla nodded, and the other woman turned and kept walking.

This was going to be a fun trip.

***.*.***

They were long past the Mojave Outpost now; walking the long lonely road to California. The Long 15 base wouldn't be too far ahead, another hour or so. Layla had to assume they'd be stopping the night there; she certainly hadn't been given any kind of itinerary from the soldiers still surrounding her.

She hoped she knew someone stationed at the Long 15, or at least that there would be someone there who wasn't a complete grump. Layla had suggested they stop to pick the fruit off a group of cacti they'd passed, but Sgt. Rutter had put a stop to that. When the Courier had argued it was free moisture and that undoubtedly everyone was thirsty, the soldier told her in unflattering language that she didn't care how Layla or the other soldiers felt.

So now everyone was tired, miserable and very thirsty. Layla had decided very early to ration her water carefully; this Rutter didn't seem to have a good mind for survival. Either that or she was a petty bitch.

As they continued into a rocky area with a ridge above them, she eyed another cactus with four fat fruits waiting to be plucked. Layla looked over at Rutter, who was sneering at the road ahead of him. Screw her.

"Hold on a sec," Layla said. "I'm grabbing some cactus fruit."

The other three soldiers stopped and looked back with varying shades of curiosity, but Rutter spun around with a grimace.

"We have to keep a timetable," she growled.

"We're not gonna keep it if we're all dehydrated husks on the side of the road," Layla retorted as she moved to the plant. She pulled her bowie knife and started digging the fruit free of the cactus.

Rutter didn't speak, but Layla could feel the other woman's glare boring into her back as she continued. Just as she was about to turn and ask the soldiers if they wanted a fruit, ED-E started whistling frantically.

"Wha?" Layla turned, looking the way the robot was pointed. Sure enough, there was a group of people crawling into sight on the rocky ledge above them, drawing weapons.

"Powder Gangers!" Layla cried, dropping the cactus fruit and drawing her pistol. Layla ducked behind a large rock and peeked up at the attackers.

Sure enough, there were at least five former NCRCF inmates on the ledge above them. They opened fire almost immediately after Layla cried out. ED-E started firing back, but Layla was having trouble aiming up the odd angle.

She looked around and found the soldiers all attempting to fire back as well. They were just as pinned down as she was. Though the real problem didn't come until the dynamite started flying.

* * *

Thank you for reading. I hope you're enjoying your summer!


	7. Ambush

Powder Gangers. Of all the people who'd been attacking her lately, Layla hadn't been expecting them. She had managed to retreat further back from the attacking group as the dynamite was thrown. Oddly enough, once she had, the gangers stopped throwing it.

Their attackers were too far away for her shotgun and she was a terrible shot at this distance, especially with her .45. She decided her best bet was to keep the gangers busy with her 'suppressing' fire and hope the soldiers hunkered around her had better aim.

Glancing their way, she found things weren't so promising: Olson was pressed against the rock next to her, white as a sheet. Patt and Elrod looked grim, but were at least occasionally coming out from their cover to fire. Rutter had been shot in the arm.

"Rutter!" Layla cried. "Are you okay?"

"Shut up and keep firing!" the woman yelled back. "If we let up, they'll overwhelm us!" The sargent was right; but Layla didn't like their chances. She looked back at Olson and held out her hand.

"Give me your rifle," she said. The soldier quickly complied, and the Courier popped over the rock.

Service rifles had always been good to Layla. She wasn't well-versed enough to use them regularly, but they were good in a pinch. On that thought, she managed to shoot one of the attackers in the shoulder, making him drop his gun. Maybe they were going to be okay after-

"Patt!" Olson cried. Layla ducked back down to see that the man had been shot between the eyes. He lay dead in a growing pool of blood. Layla stared at him for a moment, starting to think they were screwed.

"Olson, get Patt's gun and start firing or we're fucked!" Rutter growled as she attempted to work her own rifle with only her left hand. Olson looked sick as he pried the gun out of the dead man's hands, but did as he was told.

His contribution wasn't doing much more than stalling the inevitable, Layla couldn't help but think. She almost told them to keep to cover and let the assholes come to them; she'd be a lot more effective at close range. But she remembered the Powder Gangers had dynamite, which they were probably holding on to for that exact reason.

Layla felt a cold sense of dread growing in her she hadn't experienced in a long time. Not since she was kneeling in front of Benny in the Goodsprings graveyard. She shook her head, trying not to think about how Victor was gone and couldn't bail her out this time. She wasn't going to check out and let this pack of kids die, at least not without a fight.

Layla leaned out from behind the rock again, but as she moved to fire, the man she'd targeted jerked and fell as a loud bang echoed through the canyon. Before Layla could figure out what was happening, several more bangs sounded, and the Powder Gangers stopped firing in their direction. There were a few more shots fired before the canyon went quiet.

"What happened?" Olson whispered.

"I don't know," Rutter said, "but keep down."

"Sounds like someone killed them," Elrod said.

"_Keep down_. We still don't know what's going on," Rutter hissed.

The silence was getting to Layla, despite Rutter's very reasonable point. Unable to help herself, she brought Olson's rifle over the rock and looked for their 'rescuer.'

When she spotted him, she shot to her feet and started running in his direction.

"Damn it, Granville, what the hell are you doing?" Rutter bellowed.

"It's okay!" Layla cried as she ran back down the canyon. She heard Rutter call after her again as she reached the gunman and wrapped her arms around him.

"Careful, Boss! You're going to break something," Raul said as Layla squeezed him.

"Why are you here? Did you come after me?" Layla asked, still not letting the ghoul go.

"Well, I heard you were off gallivanting on your own …"

"Who is this?" Rutter asked as she approached the two. The Courier finally let go of Raul.

"This is Raul Tejada. He's one of my friends."

"I've heard of you," the woman said, though not as sourly as Layla would have expected. "We owe you our lives."

"Just working off a debt," Raul said, then looked at Layla. "You might want to take a look at what I found on these guys, boss."

Curious, Layla followed Raul as he led them up the path to the ridge. There were seven Powder Gangers sprawled on the ground, dead. The Courier started looking through the bodies, pulling anything useful from them. They all had a lot of ammo, which Layla pocketed.

It wasn't until the third clip of .45 bullets that Layla realized something was weird.

"They're all using .45 pistols…" she said out loud, standing. Looking Raul's way, she found him nodding.

"And I found this on one of them." He held up what looked like a laser pistol, but with odd, yet familiar modifications.

"What is it?" Layla asked, moving closer. The ghoul handed it over, and she examined it.

"Oh… oh it's a stun gun." She looked up. "Why would they have this?"

"If I was going to guess," Raul started with a shrug, "they were going to kill your escort and take you alive."

Layla gaped at the ghoul, about to deny his assumption, but she looked over the evidence again. She shook her head.

"That doesn't make sense for Powder Gangers. They must have been hired… but by who?"

The ghoul merely shrugged. "I don't know, boss."

Layla stared at the stun gun in her hands for a moment, still trying to work the thought over in her head.

***.*.***

Shady Sands was bigger than Raul had even imagined. He was reminded of Mexico City before the Great War. Walking the streets of an actual city was strangely comforting, even if it set him on edge.

They'd arrived a day early with no further attacks. Once they'd reached the city, what remained of their escort had left for the military base. The sour-faced sergeant had handed Layla a folder and told her how and when to get to the congress building.

Now, as they made their way into the classier part of town, Raul found himself impressed as he saw what appeared to be newly constructed multi-floored buildings, paved roads and clean people. It was like stepping back in time.

The Courier walked alongside him, uncharacteristically alert. She'd been like this since the attack; the old ghoul figured all the mess surrounding her was finally getting her to pay attention to her surroundings.

"So…" Layla started conversationally, "Veronica and I have a question for you…"

"What's that, boss?" Raul asked, her tone making him slightly cautious.

"About Cass," the girl started, and Raul quickly spoke up.

"Isn't that the hotel?" He pointed out a building marked with a classy-looking sign that read 'Oasis Springs Hotel.'

"Hmph, yes," Layla answered. "Half this town's businesses have 'Oasis' in the name."

She started toward the building, seeming to forget her earlier question. Raul managed to keep himself from commenting at the outrageous price of the room Layla booked or the looks they were getting as they spoke to the receptionist. The nice part of town probably didn't get a lot of dusty travelers.

On the way up to their room, Layla finally started acting like her old self.

"I've never stayed in a place as ritzy as this. I used to deliver mail around here for a while, right before I left for the Mojave. I know it cost and arm and a leg, but I don't think we'll be here too long and I've always wanted to rent a room here."

She looked up at him, all smiles. "I'm glad you're here. Not just because you shot a pack of Powder Gangers off my ass."

Raul couldn't help but smile at that. "I'm just happy I found you in time, boss."

The Courier frowned. The preoccupied look was back as they started down the hallway toward their room. A few moments of fumbling with keys later, and Layla opened the door to a clean, well-appointed room.

"Well, this gives the 38 a run for its money," Raul said as he looked around. Real windows and a mirror, all unbroken and polished to a shine. The two beds were covered with clean linens, and the floors were spotless.

"Don't you dare sit on anything until you clean up," the Courier demanded, clearly catching the old ghoul as he moved to sit. He let out a sigh.

"Mangoneadora," he muttered under his breath as he started for the bathroom.

"I heard that," Layla called. "I don't know what it meant, but I heard it."

"I called you an angel on Earth," Raul called back as he set about cleaning off the dirt and dust that had caked on him.

"Uh huh," the girl responded. A short time later, Raul strode back out of the bathroom.

"There," he said, turning a circle. "Do I pass inspection? Or are you going to make this old man stand for the rest of his awful existence?"

Layla gave him a careful once-over then nodded.

"Very good. Now if you'll excuse me, I need a bath." She headed for the bathroom as Raul settled into the very inviting-looking chair in the corner of the room. His old joints creaked angrily as he sat, but the chair felt as good as it looked.

He didn't know how long it was before the Courier emerged from the bathroom; he must have dozed off. Layla was still toweling her hair off as she walked into the room, letting out a loud sigh.

"That's better," she sighed. "I will never take running water for granted, ever."

"I once went a decade without taking a bath," Raul said, then laughed at the look the Courier gave him. "We can't all be spoiled NCR brats."

"I'm not spoiled!" Layla said, sounding offended. "At least I wasn't when I was a kid. I had to fight a pack of brothers for clean tub water."

"Must be nice to be back home," Raul said. Layla smiled somewhat and looked out their hotel window.

"Yep," she said eventually, "No place like home."

The air hung oddly heavy for a moment, and Raul caught Layla's chin trembling as she stared out the window.

"What is it?" the old ghoul finally spoke up. Layla looked up at him, and the dam seemed to break as she burst into tears.

"The hearing," she managed to get out between gulps of air. "I don't know what's going to happen."

Raul frowned as he stood and moved to pull the girl into a hug. She sobbed into his chest while he tried to think of something encouraging to say. When he couldn't think of anything, he merely hugged her tighter.

***.*.***

It was River Jack's opinion that the caravans in the Mojave stocked only junk and water. Water was useful and necessary and all that crap; but it was a pain in the ass to raid. It was too heavy to haul without a brahmin, and there was NO way he was tending to a fucking brahmin. That was just ridiculous.

"Grab as much as you can carry and let's go," he barked to his group. Gaboon nodded at his bellowing and continued stuffing water bottles into his various pockets and pouches. The others scurried to finish their search.

Jack and his Vipers had been making good money off this job, but it was tedious. He dearly wished this contract would end so he could take on something a little more interesting. That was his wanderlust acting up, he wagered. It didn't matter how old he got, kicking around the same area too long always made him antsy. Only recently in the Mojave had he calmed, but that was because he'd started getting interesting work.

Putting down caravans was not interesting work. Gaboon said it was his ancient snake blood that made him so restless. That was probably just a nice way of saying he was an impatient old bastard.

"Let's go!" he barked again, tired of waiting. Soon he and his team were making their way back to camp. He'd send one of the recruits out with a message for their employer in the morning. If there was more to be done, they'd send new details with the payment.

Jack did have to admit things have gotten a little more difficult with their current job as time went on; the NCR had really started packing soldiers into the Mojave. They had to be more and more careful about their ambush spots. And once one was used, they couldn't spring it again; the soldiers would start watching the area.

Even with all that, caravan raids were still easy.

As they approached the hideout, Jack instantly noticed something was wrong. There was visible light from the road. He'd personally backhanded the last idiot who'd left a light near the entrance of their compound; if people saw them, eventually someone would come to investigate. Then there'd be bodies to bury; and if it was an NCR patrol that went missing, they'd have to leave the area.

Gaboon seemed to have noticed the light as well, and motioned for everyone to hang back. Jack pulled the brush gun off his back and peered around the corner of the entrance. There was a man he didn't recognize in the small cavern that led to their hideout. Jack nearly opened fire, but felt a hand on his arm.

"Wait," Gaboon said. "It our employer."

Jack stayed his hand, but just barely. Gaboon had been the one to make the arrangements with their current benefactor. Jack knew whoever had hired them had figured out where their base was, but they'd never visited before.

The man before them was short with a forgettable face; dressed in simple leather armor. The intruder looked unfazed by the gun leveled at his face, though he had drawn his own. Jack looked at the weapon, a 12.7 mm pistol, some kind of custom job; compact, powerful and easy to hide. As impressive as it was, the weapon wasn't what told Jack the man was dangerous. It was the eyes; dark and cold, not unlike Jack's.

"I have a new job for you," the man stated simply.

"Why did you come all the way here?" Jack asked, still not lowering his gun even at the welcome news of new work.

"It is urgent that you're made aware of the situation as quickly as possible. There isn't much time."

River Jack slung his brush gun and smiled. Finally.

* * *

I hope you've enjoyed the beginning of act 2. I'll see you next week, and happy 4th of July to my American readers. Be safe, and if you're in a state that actually has good fireworks, then please send some this way (all I get are sparklers :( )

To everyone else... uh... have good week.


	8. The Committee

Layla fidgeted with her suit, checking the buttons and making sure the tie was straight. The waiting area of the capitol building was quiet. It was just before eight in the morning, and someone was supposed to get her when the committee was ready to meet with her. She hoped it wouldn't be long.

Usually the Courier didn't get nervous when it came to interviews or meetings, but this wasn't a job interview. It had been official NCR orders that had dragged her all the way to Shady Sands right after a man investigating her had been murdered.

She was fussing with her tie again when she heard someone speak to her.

"Your tie's not getting any straighter, boss." Raul was sitting in the waiting area with her. ED-E was buzzing around as well, circling the area or floating back and forth. He almost seemed nervous.

"Are you going to be okay in there?" the ghoul continued, sounding serious. Layla turned back to him, slapping a smile on her face.

"I'll be fine," she said. "You know me; I can talk my way out of anything."

Raul nodded, still looking unconvinced. Layla started pacing and tried to calm down. If she kept on like this, she was going to end up freaking herself out. Or get the inappropriately-timed giggles; those were the worst.

She looked down at her Pip-Boy again and checked the time, it was eight on the dot. She glanced at the date and barked out a laugh.

"Are you okay?" Raul asked from his spot.

"I just realized; It was a year ago today I woke up in Goodsprings," Layla answered, giggling again.

"And the brain damage isn't even that noticeable," the old ghoul mumbled as he picked up one of the magazine's strewn on the table next to him. Layla was about to comment when she heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

"Miss Granville?" a prim-looking woman asked a she approached. Layla nodded, her giggles immediately dissipating in a burst of apprehension.

"They're ready for you."

"Thank you," Layla answered. She looked back to the waiting area. Raul nodded, giving her an encouraging look while ED-E hovered close by. The Courier squared her shoulders and followed the woman down the hall.

Stopping in front of an ominous set of double doors, the other woman gave her a polite smile as she opened the door for Layla. Thanking her again, the Courier stepped in.

The room wasn't too scary-looking, just a long meeting table and seven people wearing suits staring at her. She didn't recognize any of them.

"Please, have a seat," one said. The plaque on the table in front of him read "Sen. Harold Greene." That had been the name on her summons.

Layla sat at the open seat at the end of the table and smoothed her suit. No one said anything for a moment; the Courier considered speaking, but couldn't think of what to say.

"You are Layla Granville, correct?" Greene asked after a few more tense moments.

"Yes," she answered.

"The same Layla Granville who was the acting leader of New Vegas?"

"Yes."

Greene nodded as he looked at the others at the table, then back to her. "You were called here because of some of the disturbing reports we've received about your activities.

"Frankly, we aren't sure you're working for the NCR's best interests. The actions you've taken have been questionable at times, and there are several unsavory rumors about who you keep company with."

Layla waited for them to continue, ignoring the sudden burst of irritation that brought up.

"There have been rumors that you have Enclave ties," the man next to Greene spoke up; his plaque read "Sen. E Morales," and he was wearing an ugly sneer.

"I thought the Enclave had been wiped out?" she said, hoping the dodge the topic. She'd been ready for that; it was bound to come up, and Layla had decided she'd go to the grave with her knowledge of the Enclave remnants. The gathered senators looked at each other.

"You didn't answer the question," Morales said eventually.

"No, I don't have ties to the Enclave," Layla answered, which was sort of true; former Enclave didn't count.

"There is some doubt about that," came from Greene. "We've had reports of an armed unit using Enclave military technology in the Mojave that surfaced shortly after your takeover of the Strip. Do you have any comment on that?"

"No," Layla said. An awkward, heavy silence filled the room, along with a growing feeling of hostility.

"I see," a senator named Hagard said. She looked down at her notes, then back up. "We do have proof of your connections to several groups that have been named enemies of the NCR, including the Brotherhood of Steel, The Boomers and the Great Khans."

"The Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel and the Boomers are the NCR's allies now," Layla responded. "We never would have kept the Legion at bay if it hadn't been for them." She suddenly hoped there hadn't been any new information about the Brotherhood she hadn't heard yet.

"And the Khans?" asked Greene.

"They agreed to move out of NCR's land and leave us alone," Layla answered. "It seemed like a better solution than just wiping them out."

"You killed Robert House," Morales said, and Layla felt her chest tighten. "Why?"

"It… I…" Layla hesitated. That had caught her off guard. "I hadn't planned to. He had become hostile, and when I confronted him… it ended badly."

She'd never told anyone outside of her friends what had happened to House. She hadn't been prepared for it and now it was making her feel ill.

"Why didn't you hand over New Vegas and its resourced to the NCR immediately after taking control?" Morales persisted.

"Because it wasn't mine to give." Layla starting to feel herself getting back on track. "The Three Families had been there for seven years. House being dead didn't change that. I wanted to make sure they got a fair deal."

The senators didn't look happy with that answer. Eventually they looked up from their notes to Greene, who in turn looked to Layla.

"We understand you helped to increase Helios One's power output."

The Courier felt her stomach clench at that, ARCHEMEDES was still a secret, and she aimed to keep it that way.

"There was a marginal increase in production, but it appears local, non NCR communities have been receiving some of it," Senator Hagar added. Layla managed to hide her relief.

"I can't help the way the power station was built," she said. "It was set up to go to several areas. You can verify it with the contractor you put in charge."

Hagard gave her a hard look, then went back to her notes.

***.*.***

Layla stepped out into the hallway, making sure the door was closed before she groaned. Rolling her tense shoulders, she started for the waiting area. The meeting had taken more out of her than she'd expected, and all she wanted to do was get back to the hotel and pass out.

It wasn't even over; Greene had told her they'd pick up where they'd left off tomorrow morning. At least they hadn't arrested her… yet.

An awful feeling of betrayal had been growing on her since the meeting started. How many Legates did she have to decapitate before they'd trust her? She decided she was going to have to dismiss it, or she'd end up saying something stupid. Turning the corner to the waiting area, she found Raul where she'd left him. She also found someone else there with him.

"Arcade!" Layla cried delightedly. The doctor had barely managed to get to his feet by the time the Courier crashed into him. He groaned as she squeezed him a little harder than she meant to. She let him go and was about to ask him what he was doing in Shady Sands when a spot of red wool caught her eye.

"Boone?"

The sniper was giving her a faint smile from his seat across from Raul.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked. Both men had a similar look about them; strained, tense with a bit of relief, just like she felt after leaving the meeting-

She covered her mouth with her hands. "You two were questioned by the panel too, weren't you?"

"Not the same as yours," Arcade answered. "Boone got a military tribunal. I got a measly judge and stenographer. You're the only one who got a real senate committee."

Boone got up and wrapped his arms around her. The sickly, shell-shocked look she knew she was giving them must have been bad.

"You okay?" he whispered as she squeezed him back.

"No," she answered, then sighed as she let go of the man. "Are you two in trouble?"

"Not me," Arcade said. "I was released after a stern lecture about being a bleeding heart Follower and that they'll be keeping an eye on me. But no trouble."

"I'm on administrative leave;" Boone answered. "I have to report back to McCarran in a week."

Layla nodded, somewhat relieved. "I have another meeting here tomorrow," she said. The three men didn't look happy at that.

"It's a pack of senators; it takes forever for anything to get done," she continued, then decided to rapidly change the subject. "Are you stuck at the military base, Boone?"

"I'm on leave," he answered with a shrug, "not arrested."

"Good." The Courier felt a smile finally come back to her face. "I'll get us another room at the Oasis Springs."

"You're staying at the most overpriced hotel in the whole state?" Arcade asked incredulously.

"Fine," Layla said. "If you don't want to stay in the ritzy hotel, you're free to get your own place."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Arcade answered. "I'll take a free room that normally costs a month's rent."

"That's what I thought," the Courier said with a grin.

***.*.***

Boone walked with the others down the stairs of the capitol building. He kept in close proximity to Layla; he was worried about her. She looked tired and a little too pale. She hadn't said much.

He hadn't been expecting to see Raul in a waiting room, though he should have figured Layla would be called here if he'd been. It still pissed him off; Layla had been a huge factor in the NCR holding Hoover Dam. Now they were treating her like a criminal.

"We should see if we can find Cass; she's supposed to be in town," the Courier said. "And when we get back to the hotel, I'd like to talk to you two about what has and hasn't been told to our respective witch hunt committees." She turned a grin at Arcade. "Corroborating and all."

"You probably should have gotten a lawyer," the doctor grumbled. "The Followers have a few; god only knows what'll get thrown at you."

"I can speak for myself," the Courier said. "Besides, lawyers ask too many ques- "

"LAYLA!" a voice boomed out of the crowd, stopping the girl short. Boone turned, reaching for his sidearm. He'd gotten used to people making attempts on the Courier's life, though he would be surprised if it happened in the middle of the day on the stairs of the NCR capitol building.

He spotted the source of the cry fairly quickly; a ranger was coming their way. Layla caught sight of the man and stuck her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" she said, sounding surprised and irritated.

"I work here," the man said sourly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"It's a… long story," she said sheepishly. The ranger shook his head.

"If that isn't the understatement of the century. Have you got any clue how much trouble you're in?"

"I already handled day one. No harm done."

"No harm done? You were dragged here from the Mojave for a hearing. Does that sound like something people do when everything's fine?"

"It was just an informal hearing, and it doesn't matter. I let them know they were worrying about nothing."

The ranger took off his hat and rubbed his forehead. Boone saw a lot of gray in his hair, despite his young-looking face. He replaced his hat and gave Layla a hard look.

"You can't think this is going to blow over so easily. And even if it did, do you know how pissed off Mom and Dad are?"

Layla scoffed. "They always blow things out of proportion."

"Dad wants me to physically drag you back home."

"There's a big surprise," the girl grumbled. "What about Mom?"

"She said you'd better set this all right before you tarnish our good name."

Layla sighed loudly. "That's what I'm _trying_ to do." She then seemed to notice the strange looks she was getting from her group. "Oh! This is Tony, one of my older brothers," she said. "Tony, this is Arcade Gannon, Raul Tejada and Craig Boone-"

"Your latest boyfriend, I've heard," the ranger said.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Layla asked, an edge forming on her voice.

"It means you've managed to start dating a guy who isn't a murderer." The ranger cracked an ugly smile and glanced at Boone's beret. "But I guess that's not completely true."

"Watch it," Layla said warningly. Boone's jaw had tightened at the ranger's remark. He managed to get a grip on his irritation; he knew how to deal with asshole remarks about his unit, but the hearing had already put him on edge.

"Deb wants you over for dinner…" Tony said, the hard tone suddenly gone from his voice. "Your friends too."

"Fine," Layla answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are we having?"

"I don't know," the ranger grumbled. "Deb's cooking."

The Courier sighed loudly. "Great."

***.*.***

The walk from the city to the small suburb where Layla's brother lived had been tense. Arcade had hoped to break the ice, but both Granville siblings had been wearing eerily similar scowls the whole walk. The silence wasn't broken until they got to the ranger's house, one of a few stucco buildings along a dirt road.

"Is that you, Tony?" a woman yelled the moment the door was opened.

"Yeah, Deb," the ranger hollered back. "Layla's here."

A pleasant-looking woman walked to the door a few moments later, a baby on her hip. By the look of her abdomen, another was on the way.

"You're pregnant?" Layla cried, then turned a glare on her brother. "Why didn't you send word?"

"I figured you'd come back and visit at some point," Tony shrugged. "I guess you were busy."

"Well come on in," Deb said loudly before either could speak again. "Dinner will be ready in a little bit. Go have a seat while I see what Peggy has gotten into." She disappeared down the hall as they walked inside. Arcade heard was sounded like a small child squealing with laughter from further in the house as they were led into a kitchen.

The Courier flung herself into a seat at the weathered table and opened her mouth, then closed it as she looked around.

"Tony… is this house safe?" Layla asked, getting a particularly dirty look from her brother.

"Of course it's safe. What the hell does that mean?"

"ED-E," she called, and the eyebot started zooming around the room, beeping as he did. A moment later, he came back to the courier and whistled. Layla looked at the readout on her pip-boy and frowned.

"There's a listening device in here."

Tony looked like he was ready to blow a fuse. "Why do you have an Enclave robot that can detect radio signals?"

"Why do you have listening devices in your house?" the Courier shot back. The ranger looked like he was about to snap out something, but Deb chose that moment to resurface.

"It's the baby monitor," she said, then sighed heavily once she got a look at the two siblings glaring at each other.

"Will you two just get out whatever it is that's bothering you! I'm not spending the next few days listen to you two snipe at each other."

"Great choice of words," Tony grumbled, glancing at Boone. Layla stiffened.

"All right Tony, what the hell is it?" she cried. "Why are you so angry?"

The ranger glowered at her for a moment, then finally spoke.

"I'm angry because I sent you into the Mojave, and now I find out you've been working with the Enclave."

"I have not!" Layla cried indignantly.

"Don't lie. I've got proof."

That stopped the girl. Her brow furrowed for a moment.

"Castles," Layla gaped. "You've spoken to Ranger Castles."

Arcade remembered the man; he'd lost his leg at Hoover Dam. He'd also been the only surviving ranger who'd seen the Enclave Remnants in action.

Tony was giving her an icy stare from across the table. There was no denying it now.

"Who has he told?" Layla asked, starting to look sick.

"Me," Tony answered, shaking his head. "He told me because he thought I should know. What the hell were you thinking?"

Layla sat up. "I was thinking I wanted to stop the Legion!" she cried. "If they hadn't been there, I would have never gotten a shot at Lanius. If I hadn't, we may not have won that battle."

"Do you know how insane that sounds?" Tony yelled. "You fought in a battle. You fought the Legate. Why were you even there?"

Arcade didn't usually find himself at a loss for words. He'd admit sometimes he got a little flustered or unsure of himself, but not often. Some part of his head was telling him to break up the fight the Granvilles were slowly escalating. It did seem like it was going to explode into violence at any moment.

The doctor never had any siblings, so he wasn't sure how this was going to play out; Layla's brother knew about the Enclave Remnants, the ones he'd just sworn on court documents didn't exist. It wasn't going to be very hard to put two and two together concerning his involvement. Then it was going to be a treason charge and execution.

He glanced over to Boone, who was watching the situation like a hawk. Arcade was of a mind that the sniper also wasn't sure of what to do; he didn't have any siblings either. The younger man was just adhering to his personal tenet; protect Layla. If either Granville got physical, it was going to come down to sniper vs. ranger pretty quick.

"So now what?" Layla cried. "Are you going to blow this open, throw us to the dogs?"

"You threw yourself at them already," Tony snapped.

"I did it to save the NCR," Layla roared. "I did it so the Legion would never make it this far!"

Now both siblings were just staring at each other, both looking furious. Deb, who Arcade had to assume was Tony's wife since they hadn't been introduced before the fighting started, shook her head as she walked to the table.

"Are you two done? I swear you're both children."

Tony shot a dour look at the woman, but it faded as she glared back. Deb eventually gave up on him and faced the others.

"I'm Deb." She held out a hand to Arcade, who shook it.

"I uh.. I'm Arcade," he said, glancing at Layla. "I'm a friend of Layla's."

"Raul Tejada," the ghoul said as the woman turned his way.

"And you must be Craig," Deb said as she turned to the sniper.

"No one calls him that," Layla grumbled, still casting a dirty look at her brother. "Call him Boone."

"Boone," Deb repeated. "You're Layla's boyfriend, right?"

He merely nodded, and Arcade noted that he kept glancing at Layla and Tony periodically.

"Well, you're certainly an improvement from Lugnut," the woman said, getting most of the room's attention.

"Who's Lugnut?" Raul asked, sounding very interested.

"That was a long time ago," Layla said quickly.

"That was barely over a year ago," Tony said. "Wasn't that the one who wanted to share you with his raider buddies?"

"I- he wasn't a raider."

"He was in a gang."

"That's not the same. And how did you know that?" Layla asked. She threw her hands in the air. "Why do I even bother? You know how many people call me nosey? You're ten times worse."

"It's a ranger's job to be 'nosey,'" Tony said. His demeanor changed as he shook his head and relaxed. "Come on and sit down, the rest of you." He looked up as his wife. "Do you need help with dinner?"

"No, just stop fighting like a pack of wild animals. You've probably got the kids scared to death," the woman said as she walked out of the room.

Tony looked somewhat unhappy with his wife's parting words. He turned back to the others.

"Come on, sit; we all need to talk."

"About what?" Layla asked, and Arcade had to do a double-take. The Courier sounded perfectly calm, like she hadn't just nearly come to blows with her brother.

"About how someone's gunning for you," the man said. "You must have pissed off someone that put the pressure on that idiot committee." He gave her a cautious look. "Greene and his cronies investigate anyone notable who 'doesn't have what's best for the NCR at heart.' Most of the people who've been called in to see them have ended up arrested."

"Oh…" Layla gaped, "That's not good." She frowned and went quiet for a few moments. "Why would someone want that?"

"I don't know," Tony sighed, "but someone's trying to take you out of the picture."


	9. Civilization

"What was that back there?" Arcade asked as Layla unlocked their hotel room; she'd been able to talk the girl at the reception desk into letting them rent another room adjoining theirs. The woman had muttered something about needed reservations, but Layla wasn't going to that stop her.

"What do you mean?" she asked as opened the door. "Oh, the price for the room? I know it was a bit much, but this place is so nice."

"Not that," the doctor sighed. "I mean where you and your brother were about to kill each other."

"That?" She laughed. "That's how siblings talk to each other," the girl turned her gaze to Raul, "Right?"

"Right boss; though I was never that hard on my sisters."

"You never had me for a sister," the courier laughed. "I apparently get 'into trouble' and 'don't pay attention to my surroundings' and 'date psychos.'"

"About that; who's Lugnut?" Raul asked. Layla frowned.

"Old boyfriend," she said, then decided to change the subject as she looked back to Arcade. "Anyway, my brothers express concern and love through yelling and veiled threats. We're not a touchy-feely family… unless you count fist fights."

"Charming," Arcade grumbled. "Do you think he's going to tell anyone about the Enclave Remnants?"

"No," Layla said firmly. "He would have already done it if he were going to. No, he just wanted to chew me out. Honestly, I think he's just having a hard time believing all this."

She threw herself on her bed with a groan of pleasure. After not moving for a few moments, she looked up as the others milled about.

"ED-E," she called, and the eyebot floated over to her. "Scan the room, please."

The robot did as he was told and Layla lazily dragged her arm over so she could see it. There weren't any listening devices in the room.

"What did you two say at your hearings?" the Courier asked. Arcade sighed as he took off his glasses and cleaned them with the hem of his shirt.

"Nothing; I'm just a researching doctor for the Followers who got caught up in your schemes."

"Well, that's vaguely true," Layla said, then turned her head over to Boone, who was unpacking his duffle bag. "What about you?"

"Didn't say much. Confirmed we were together and that you weren't getting any classified information from me."

"That one's actually true," she said in a grumble. "I get more dirt from Gorobets than you."

Laying her head back on the soft pillow, she suddenly realized how tired she was. It had been a long day and tomorrow didn't look so hot either. She had meant to take a bath before she went to sleep, but her eyes closed and she drifted off before she could dwell further on it.

***.*.***

Raul sat by the window the next morning, lazily reading through the newspaper strewn across the table as he nursed a cup of coffee. It was the real thing, and it was delicious. The old ghoul hadn't had actual coffee since before the Great War.

Boone had taken Layla to her second hearing, and Arcade was out picking up some items for his friends in the Boneyard. That left Raul to relax alone.

He spent plenty of time on his own lately, but rarely was it lazing about; he didn't have anything to tinker with or fix, and there was no one in the immediate area that needed to be shot. At his age, he took an opportunity to not do a damn thing whenever he could.

The room doorknob jiggled, and Arcade walked through a moment later, arms filled with packages.

"Is it something I wear or something?" the man grumbled as dropped the items in his arms onto the bed. "Do I come off as a 'pack mule' to you?"

"You could have told them you weren't doing their shopping," the ghoul said as he turned the page.

"Then I would have heard it for months," the other man sighed. "'Oh Arcade, you can go gallivanting off to help your courier friend, but heaven forbid you pick me up my old lady cream!'"

Raul looked up at that. "Old lady cream?"

"Snake oil in a pretty jar," the doctor answered as he sat at the table. Soon both men were thumbing through the news in the comfortable silence. Raul hadn't realized how much he'd missed having the doctor around. He didn't comment on it, instead enjoying things while he could.

A few hours later, the hotel door opened again. ED-E zoomed in first, followed by a grinning Layla.

"Guess who isn't getting indicted?" she said, all smiles as Boone closed the door behind them.

"What did they say?" Arcade asked.

"That while they're satisfied that I am not trying to screw over the NCR, my actions have made official operations more difficult."

"Like repelling the Legion?" the doctor asked.

"Helping the Kings keep Freeside and not having Cachino killed," Layla corrected. "Though I kinda wish I'd just locked Cachino in a closet with a deathclaw."

She sat on the bed closest to the table, glancing at the paper.

"Any articles on me?" she asked, sounding wary.

"Indirectly," Arcade said, holding up a section. _'The Mojave's Most Infamous Personalities.' _

"Oh, great," the girl grumbled, lying back on the bed. A moment later she sat up.

"Is that a real phone?" she asked. Raul looked over to the telephone perched on one of the end tables.

"It exists on our plane of reality," Arcade said, not looking up from the article he was reading.

"Har har," Layla said as she stood and picked up the receiver. "Um… hello?" She squinted for a moment, then her eyes widened.

"I didn't expect this to work." She looked to the others. "This thing works."

Raul shook his head at the girl, and she put the phone back to her ear.

"How many people have phones?" she asked the person on the other end of the line, then nodded. "Wow. Well, um… _oh really_? Can you put me through? Oh, whichever you'd recommend. Thanks!"

She smiled broadly at the others. "I'm ordering lunch. On the phone. And they're going to _deliver_ it!"

***.*.***

Layla tried to act dignified while she waited for their lunch to arrive. This was so cool. The others had seemed mildly interested in the working phone, but no one was as excited as she was. They were all a bunch of wet blankets in her book.

Layla was planning to stay in town for another day or two, primarily to visit Tony and his family, partially to go shopping. She would have stayed longer, even gone to Arroyo to visit the rest of her family, but she wanted to know what happened to Veronica at Hidden Valley. Maybe she'd plan a trip back home at the end of the year, presuming all this drama in the Mojave would be done by then.

Raul was telling the others about the ambush on Layla and her escort. The Powder Gangers had been a surprise; but they had suspected there was more behind the attack.

"They were using .45s, and one of them had a stun gun," Raul said. "And they were picky with their shots."

Arcade frowned. "Layla's escort is killed and she never makes it to California. It would look like she'd killed them and run for it…. Good thing you showed up when you did."

"Just doing a friend a favor," the ghoul said.

"Thanks, by the way," Boone said as Layla opened her mouth to say the same thing. She looked at him, mildly confused.

"I asked him to keep an eye on you while I was gone," Boone said with a shrug.

Layla was trying to decide if she was annoyed by that when her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She shot out of her seat.

"I'll get it!" she cried, moving for the door before anyone else had the chance to speak.

"Who is it?" she asked, looking through the door's peephole. A short, dark-haired man stood in the hall holding a big brown bag.

"Dusty's Delivery!" the man announced. The Courier smiled widely as she opened the door.

"That was faster than I expected," she said.

"We aim to please," he answered. He handed her the bag, which was now close enough for Layla to pick up the heavenly smell coming from it. The delivery man started digging in his pocket for the bill, and Layla turned to hand off the bag so she could pay him.

Something green caught her eye. Looking back, she saw it was the light of a plasma defender. The delivery man was turning it in her direction.

Layla heaved the heavy bag of food at the man as hard as she could. He'd already fired, but the shot caught the bag. Before the Courier could recover, she was pulled back into the room as Boone and Raul surged past her, slamming the door shut behind them.

There were a few loud shouts and a sickly sounding thud as Layla looked back to find Arcade had his own plasma defender out, aimed at the door. The door banged open a moment later, and the delivery man was thrown through. Boone stepped into the room, looking furious.

"He's alive," Raul said as he walked in after Boone. Layla managed to shake off her shock, then looked down at the man who'd tried to kill her.

"Good."

***.*.***

Tony could feel the cords in his neck sticking out as the elevator opened. The walk back to town from his house was tense to say the least. Layla's Follower doctor had shown up at his door a few minutes after he got home.

Someone had tried to kill his little sister in his town. And they were stupid enough to not get killed in the process.

In a somewhat disturbing move, Layla and her friends hadn't alerted any other authorities. Layla was usually such a schoolgirl about this kind of thing. It was for the best anyway; he'd be able to deal with this himself.

The doctor knocked on the door of their hotel room as Tony noticed what had to be new stains on the otherwise pristine rug.

The cowboy ghoul answered the door, and the ranger noticed him holstering his weapon as he did. No one spoke as they walked through to the adjoining room, where a man sat tied to a chair.

"Tell me everything," Tony said as Layla stood from where she'd been sitting one of the beds. The sniper hovered near her, glaring at the bound man.

"Did you know they have working phones here?" Layla spoke up. Tony sighed.

"Yes, the lines went up a few months ago. Focus, Layla."

"I am," the girl said, sounding exasperated. "I ordered from Dusty's, and this guy showed up with the food and tried to shoot me."

"And you don't know him?" Tony asked, checking the bruised man himself to be sure he hadn't seen him around.

"No," Layla answered.

"All right, you-" he indicated the ghoul, "watch him. Everyone else in the other room."

Layla looked like she was going to protest, but Tony gave her a warning look. She sighed, then headed for the door.

***.*.***

Raul had the feeling he was going to like this little show. They'd made a very rudimentary attempt to get their captive to talk, but the man had been silent since he'd woken up.

That probably meant he was working for someone directly. Mercs usually didn't care if they ratted out their employers.

The door to the other room opened, and Tony and Boone came back in. The ranger walked in front of the bound man while Boone circled around behind him.

"You're going to jail one way or another," Tony said simply, "but first you're going to tell me why you tried to kill my kid sister."

The man paled somewhat at that, but didn't speak. The ranger's grimace deepened.

"Listen, asshole, either you go to jail in one piece, or I let him-" he nodded at Boone, "beat the shit out of you for trying to kill his girl. Then I get to stomp what's left of you into the carpet and invoice your family for the cleaning bill."

The man, who didn't look much older than twenty, was starting to visibly sweat. But he still hadn't spoken. Tony sighed, then punched the man in the stomach. He groaned, doubling over as Tony walked away. Boone moved around to take the ranger's place.

"He's angry," Boone said in a deadpan tone. "Not used to people trying to kill Layla. Happens all the time in the Mojave. Legionaries, assassins, mercs, raiders; they're all dead."

The poor dope looked like he was going to wet himself now. He still hadn't spoken, though, and Boone backed off. Tony was glaring daggers at the man as he walked over again.

"I'm going to get my sister," he announced, then leaned closer to the captive. "You know, the one who decapitated the Legion's Legate single-handedly."

Now the man turned a sickly shade of gray. Tony opened the door to the adjoining room and gestured inside. A moment later Arcade walked into the room, followed by Layla. The Courier did not look happy.

She moved to a chair in front of the bound man and sat.

"You ruined my lunch," she said. "I've never had delivery before, and you ruined the first time. I can't get that back, ever. So I figured-"

"I work for the Van Graffs!" the man cried. "I- I was supposed to kill you!"

Layla looked somewhat shocked at that. Tony swooped in before his sibling could speak.

"Are you a Van Graff employee, or a hired merc?"

"Employee."

"Were you ordered by someone from the company?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Tiaret Van Graff."

The ranger's face twisted into a sneer. "You're under arrest for assault and attempted murder." He hauled back and punched the man again.

"Tony!" Layla cried.

"The little fuck's lucky I don't kill him," the ranger growled. He stood up straight and moved for the door, "I'm getting someone to pick him up. Then we're going to pay the Van Graff's a visit."

***.*.***

Shady Sand's streets never seemed to calm down. Just like the Strip, it was always teeming with people. Layla wondered for a moment if there'd be any other assassins waiting for her in the crowd. She shook the thought away as her brother spoke.

"The Van Graffs are trouble," Tony said as he led the way to the Van Graff family's headquarters. "They play at politics, but they're just an organized crime family. Tiaret's the one in charge; there are ten kids, and she's their mother. They're all viscious, crazy and dangerous, but Tiaret knows how to keep things looking civil on the surface.

The ranger seemed somewhat unnerved. Layla found herself troubled at that; Tony never looked worried, especially on the job.

"Just don't go shooting your mouth off when we get in," the ranger said. He looked down at her for a moment and frowned.

"I think I've changed my mind," he said. He turned his attention to Boone. "Take her back to the hotel, I'll handle-"

"I'm going," Layla said firmly. Tony looked like he wanted to argue with her, but just looked at her for a moment and nodded, and they continued on. Raul and Arcade followed along, and neither looked happy about this plan. It was risky, Layla figured, but the Van Graffs weren't going to just shoot them. It'd be too much of a mess to clean up, Layla hoped.

The building Tony led them to looked like an old world mansion. It was a huge white house with pillars on the front porch, barred by a thick metal fence. As they approached the gate, a man in a suit stepped up.

"Do you have an appointment… sir?" the suit said mockingly as he looked at Tony's ranger uniform.

"Tell Tiaret the Granvilles would like to speak with her," Layla said. Tony glanced her way, but didn't say anything. The man in the suit looked somewhat troubled at that, but nodded.

"Wait here," he said and scurried off. It didn't take long for him to come back, looking harried.

"You two can go in," he said, indicating Tony and Layla. "The rest of you can wait in the foyer. Don't touch anything." Boone bristled at that, probably not liking the idea of getting seperated.

"It'll be okay," Layla murmured. The sniper looked troubled, but nodded.

A short time later, Tony and Layla were led through the huge mansion to what looked like an office. The Courier was surprised at how sparsely decorated the room was; given how fancy the outside of the house looked, she didn't expected the inside to be so spartan.

An aging, dark-skinned woman sat at a desk. She looked up from the papers she was reading and gave Layla and Tony an evaluating look.

"Before you start on what'll be a very tiring game of twenty questions," the woman started, "let me make things easy for you: Yes, I ordered you killed," she said plainly. Layla gaped at her; she hadn't expected a blunt confession. The elder Van Graff was unnerving in her calmness.

"I was told you wouldn't be making it to your hearing," Tiaret continued, "so when you showed up, I assumed my sources had been unsuccessful and decided to take the matter into my own hands."

"Who told you about the hearing?" Tony asked, surprising Layla. Shouldn't he be arresting her? Maybe he was waiting until she gave them everything they wanted to know first. Van Graff looked annoyed at the question, then shrugged.

"My source never revealed their identity, just passed the information along."

"They just gave it to you?"

"That's right," Tiaret answered, smiling broadly. "We were also made aware of the Enclave tech used at Hoover Dam. I felt it was my duty as a good citizen to pass along the information to the proper authorities."

"You… you're the reason I was called out here," Layla sputtered.

"Someone wanted you out of the Mojave," the other woman said with a shrug. "And hearing that you wouldn't make it this far, I was happy to oblige."

"Why are you telling us this?" Layla couldn't help but ask. Tiaret laughed at that.

"You can't touch me. The ranger knows it."

Layla looked at her brother, who was glaring at the woman.

"And I just wanted you out of picture," she continued in Layla's direction. "But you've been hard to get rid of." Her expression suddenly turned ugly, "You're not worth the effort, but I don't want you bothering my family again."

"I didn't really plan to," Layla said. She noticed the warning look Tony shot her. Tiaret's face settled into a mask of calm.

"Good, now get out of here," she said venomously.

Layla hadn't expected to be dismissed so quickly. Honestly, none of this meeting made much sense. She looked up at her brother, who was still scowling. After a moment, he took Layla by the arm and led her out. Boone and Raul turned from their spots in the foyer.

"So, how did it go?" the ghoul asked.

"So that's it?" Layla demanded from her brother, barely hearing Raul. The ranger kept walking until he left the building. The others followed.

"Tony!" Layla cried, wanting answers.

"No that's not it," Tony growled as he stopped and turned to his sister. "But it's all we can do for now."

Layla grimaced. "How can they be powerful enough to have people killed and get away scott-free?"

The ranger's ire seemed to build. "They're an old family that knows how to play politics. That evidence you sent in barely touched them."

"What do you mean?" Layla demanded. She and Cass had sent evidence to the NCR that the Van Graffs had been murdering caravans in a deal with Alice McLafferty, who ran the Crimson Caravan. "Ranger Jackson said they'd go up the river for it."

"The military ended up getting a temporary discount on energy weapons out of the Van Graffs," Tony said. "And the Crimson Caravan gave the military bases in the Mojave a better resupply deal."

Layla gaped at that. Oh, if Cass knew about that, she'd flip.

"I'm not done… but I have to be careful," Tony said, "The Van Graffs are powerful and rich. Both go a long way around here." He sighed. "The good news is Tiaret sounded like she didn't care about you anymore. That's good."

"Yeah," Layla grumbled, "but someone else still does."

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	10. The Drop

I know it's really early, but I'm up and I couldn't wait anymore :3

* * *

Layla wasn't going to cry. Not in front of everyone. Especially Tony.

She and her friends had stayed an extra day in Shady Sands. Now it was time to go back to the Mojave. She had to make sure Veronica and the Brotherhood were okay. And hopefully she'd be able to figure out who was trying so hard to ruin her life.

But that meant leaving Tony and his family. Arcade was leaving as well, going back to the Boneyard. Layla had considered trying to talk the doctor into going with them, but he had a life beyond them now.

That only brought her closer to tears. Arcade had been acting wary around her all morning; he probably expected her to physically drag him back to the Mojave.

The trip to Shady Sands had been, for the most part, a success: the NCR senate no longer considered her a criminal, and at least some of her questions had been answered, if not very well. The Van Graffs had been fed information about her, but by who?

On top of it all, Boone and Tony had started getting along. She'd hoped to bring the sniper to Arroyo to meet the rest of her family one day. With Tony's approval, things would go a lot smoother.

Stepping outside, Layla squinted in the morning sun. They'd just checked out of the hotel. Layla was sad to leave the posh surroundings, but she really couldn't justify paying the ridiculous prices another day.

They started making their way to a rest stop just out of town. Boone, Raul and Layla would be traveling with a caravan back to the Mojave. Arcade would be traveling with a separate group to the Boneyard. She could tell they were getting closer from the brahmin smell alone.

"Keeps the smell of unwashed body at bay," Arcade said, noting Layla's scrunched nose. "You really are getting soft, aren't you?"

"I am not!" Layla cried. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"You were always soft," a voice called from the brahmin stop. Layla's face battled between smiling and glaring at her brother when she saw him.

"And you were always a pain in the ass," she shot back.

"What company did you rope into taking you back to the Mojave?" the ranger said. "They'd better be prepared for your kind of luck."

"They're plenty tough… What exactly does that mean?" Layla asked, arms crossing over her chest. Before her brother could answer, there was a shout from the other side of the brahmin pens.

"GANNON!" a very dusty-looking man shouted, and Layla saw a group of caravaneers and mercs gathered around a squat little brahmin. Arcade waved at them, then looked back to the group.

"That's me," he said. "Time to go back to the real world."

Layla managed to stop herself from begging him to go with them; it wasn't going to happen, no matter what she wanted. Bringing it up would just make it more painful. The doctor shook hands with Boone and Raul, Tony as well, then turned to her.

"Be careful," he said. "Someone's after you. But then again, someone's always after you, so this shouldn't be too different than normal."

Layla nodded as she bit her tongue. Arcade gave her an odd look.

"What's the matter? You're making a weird-" Layla cut him off as she launched herself in his direction, wrapping her arms around him. She felt him hug her back, and all the effort she'd put into controlling herself failed as she began sobbing.

"I miss you," she whimpered into his shirt. "I mean... I-I'll miss you."

"I've missed you too," Arcade said. "We'll just have to get the government to demand we meet up again."

"Maybe we can do it without the hearings," Layla half laughed, then pulled away. "I might come back in a few months... if things calm down."

"Just let me know," the doctor said, giving her a half-smile. "There'll always be a demand for expensive old lady cream."

"Okay," she said, sniffling again. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, and be careful."

Layla nodded, and Arcade looked at the gathered group, then turned toward his caravan. The Courier attempted to put on a brave face, but tears kept defying her as they slid down her face.

She felt an arm wrap around her and looked up; Boone was holding her. She gave him a watery smile as she put her head against his shoulder.

"There you are! You know I've got a schedule to keep!" Layla heard from behind her; the head of their caravan had found them.

"And where's Beanpole?" Cass demanded as Layla turned. One look at the younger girl's puffy face and the caravaneer squinted down the road.

"ARCADE ISRAEL GANNON, you get your ass back here so I can say goodbye!" she bellowed. The group ahead of them stopped and seemed to be talking amongst themselves. After about a minute of debating, Cass shouted again. "Lemmy, I know that's you in charge. Don't be a dick, let him come back for a few minutes!"

Soon Cass was scolding the doctor for trying to leave without talking to her. Layla felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Tony giving her a somewhat concerned look.

"I've got to get back soon…" he said casually. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his short hair. "You'd better be watching your back. I'm not going to be able to do much for you here."

"We'll be fine," Layla said. "I can handle myself."

"Ha. You go looking for trouble; it doesn't even have to find you."

"You know…" Layla started, "this whole mess is technically your fault."

"How do you figure?" Tony said incredulously.

"That propaganda job you set me up with. I never would have made it as far as Primm without it. If I never got to Primm, I never would have gotten the delivery job from Mr. House. Benny would never have shot me in the head and buried me, and I never would have gone after him."

The Courier realized what she'd just said and grimaced; she hadn't mentioned the whole Goodsprings incident to her brother. She hadn't planned to. Tony was still staring at her, shocked.

"You were shot in the head?"

"I…" She pulled her hair from its bun and parted it to the side. The scar was old and somewhat faded now, but it would always be a little gross.

Tony stared at the scar for a moment, then abruptly pulled Layla into a hug. The Courier froze for a moment, then hugged her brother back. After a few moments, he let her go.

"… I'm not going to tell Mom and Dad about that," he said somewhat awkwardly. "Are you sure you want to go back?"

Layla smiled at that. "I'm sure. I can't leave everything a mess."

Tony nodded. "If you're coming back soon, write first. Deb was pretty pissed she only had two days to clean before you got here."

Layla nodded and was about to open her mouth when Cass rejoined them.

"I can't believe you were all going to let him leave before I got a chance to…. Hello," the caravaneer trailed off when she got a look at Tony. "And how are you?"

"He's my brother," Layla said warningly, "my married brother."

"Oh I'm not aiming to fuck everyone who wanders by," the other woman sniffed. "But I didn't think good looks ran in the family."

"Hey!" Layla cried. Tony laughed heartily.

"You must be Rose of Sharon Cassidy," he said.

"And how did you know that?" the caravaneer asked with a grin.

"Since I heard my kid sister ran a country on her own for a while, I did a little digging on her cohorts. But every ranger in the NCR's heard of the woman who knocked Peterson flat in a brawl."

"You guys still talk about that?" Cass laughed. "You need to get new stories."

"Not when the ones we have include that old asshole getting taken down a peg," the ranger said. Cass was still laughing, but then seemed to catch the eye of someone in the pit stop.

"Ah fuck, we'd better go," she sighed. Tony nodded at that.

"Take care of her," the ranger said to the gathered group.

"We'll do our best," Raul said, "but you know her."

"I do," Tony said. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Layla said. They started off soon afterward; Layla managed to look back at her brother's diminishing silhouette only once.

***.*.***

"_Howdy folks, it's Mr…as, and … feel… about all of you listening. I'm happy to announce that we are officially back on the air; NCR officials have stated there should be no more power outages. So let's get back to the music._

_This goes out to my old friend, Victor, who I haven't seen in a long time."_

Layla smiled as Radio New Vegas started coming back in on her Pip-Boy radio. It had been a long walk from California.

"There it is, Dumbass Monument," Cass said as the Mojave Outpost and its looming statue came into view. "I wonder how fucked up the Mojave's been without us."

"It's probably at peace and working on free water and education for all," Raul said, making Layla laugh.

"Everyone's got running water and power and all the cazadores have become friendly," she added.

"Raiders help old ladies across the street," Boone said.

"And now that we're back, it'll all go back to hell," Cass concluded. She sighed as they reached the brahmin pens. "You guys go on; I'm sure you don't want to stayed cooped up here for the hours it takes to get through."

"If you don't mind…" Layla started. The other woman waved her off.

"Go on, I'll meet up with you at the 38 in a day or two." She grabbed Raul by the sleeve and pulled him over. "I'll be expecting you to be ready and waiting," she said, then kissed him.

"I KNEW it!" Layla cried at the display. "Well, actually Veronica knew it, but I agreed!"

"What?" Cass said. "You gotta problem with this?"

"YES! You're not good enough for my Raul," the Courier cried. "And how long has this been going on?"

"Couple weeks," Raul shrugged. "It kind of just happened."

"Not everyone goes through a nine month pre-courting period before you actually touch each other," Cass grumbled.

Layla looked the two of them over for a moment, thinking.

"Fine… I approve. But if you break his heart, I'll-"

"Oh shut up," Cass growled. "Go home; I'll see you in a few days."

***.*.***

"How was California?" Colonel Hsu asked as Layla took the seat he offered her. Boone had been ordered to report to McCarran once he got back to the Mojave, and Hsu wanted to see him personally. Raul had opted to wander around the terminal building while they met with the officer.

"Ha. It's a lot different from the Mojave; except for all the intrigue and murder attempts," she admitted. "But I didn't get arrested, so that's good."

"And I've read the report they sent back with you," the colonel said to Boone.

Layla hoped Boone could come home with her. With everything that had been going on lately, she wanted him close by. But that wasn't likely; if anything it sounded like the NCR brass wanted them apart for now.

"You're in a gray area now," Hsu continued. "Technically you're not on active duty, but I'm supposed to give you orders."

Boone said nothing, probably just wanting the other man to get to what he had to do. Hsu seemed to take in his expression, then smiled.

"I do have an assignment for you," he said. Layla braced herself as he continued. "There has been a lot of unrest in the area, and a lot of it seems to be coming from your direction," he indicated Layla. She gave him a confused look, not really sure were this was going.

"So," he looked at Boone again, "I want you keeping an eye on Miss Granville," he said. "Don't let her cause any trouble."

"Yes sir," Boone responded, sounding serious. Layla looked up and saw him smirking slightly. She looked back to the colonel.

"Thank you," she said, fighting down the swell of emotions bubbling up in her. It had felt like there was no one left in the NCR who was on her side. She should have remembered Hsu was there for her.

Hsu dropped the somewhat official demeanor he'd been using and replaced it with a more serious tone.

"We still haven't heard from the Brotherhood of Steel, and people are starting to get antsy," he said. "I would appreciate if you'd go and speak with them."

"That's our plan," Layla said, frowning. She'd hoped Veronica would have contacted someone by now. "Just a quick stop at home, then we'll head back out. Has anything else happened lately?"

"Nothing dramatic," Hsu said. "The caravan attacks have all but stopped, but that may be because of all the troops in the area. We're running out of places to put them up."

"Why so many?" Layla asked, confused.

"Some were sent to help with the Legion clean up, then when the caravan attacks started they sent more. Now it seems like half the army is here."

Layla didn't know what to make of that, but she supposed it was always good to have more hands on deck.

"So, besides a few technical problems with the dam, things are calm," Hsu finished.

Layla nodded. That all didn't sound so bad. Assuming things were okay with the Brotherhood, maybe things really had started to calm down in their absence.

"We'd better be on our way then," she said. "Thank you again."

Hsu nodded. "Take care; this kind of unrest is going to have everyone at each other's throats."

***.*.***

"What the hell?" Layla cried as she nearly tripped over a stack of crates stepping out of the elevator into the Presidential Suite. Regaining her footing, she examined the boxes. They were full of Nuka-Cola Quartz.

"Wha?" the courier said out loud. "Where did this come from?"

Raul shrugged as he moved to the bedroom, turning on the lights as he went. Layla gingerly stepped over the boxes and made a beeline for the refrigerator. If the power had gone out, some of the food she'd stored might have gone bad.

Fortunately, everything seemed to still be good. It smelled that way, anyway.

"Thanks for the note," Boone said at the door, and Layla turned. The man held a piece of paper in his hand: her 'gone to California' note.

"There's a courier running around somewhere trying to find you too," Layla laughed.

"Another one's looking for you," the sniper replied.

"I thought you weren't supposed to tell anyone you were leaving?" the Courier asked, and Boone shrugged.

"Didn't want you to think I was around when I wasn't," he said, moving her way. He hooked an arm around her and she leaned into him.

"I appreciate it," she said. "I'm glad you're here. We owe Colonel Hsu a fruit basket or something."

Boone chuckled, and they stood in silence for a minute.

"Do you think Veronica'll mind if I take one of her Quartz?" the sniper asked after a few minutes. Layla looked up at him, confused.

"Wha? Their Veronica's?" Boone nodded as he jerked his head in the direction of the hall.

"She ordered them a while back, right before… " He trailed off, looking like he was searching for what to say. "Before things changed around here."

That same burst of guilty sorrow she felt every time she thought of House filled her chest. She shook it off a moment later. Just in time too as Raul ambled into the kitchen.

"Are we heading out soon?"

Layla had considered taking a quick nap before leaving again, but a nagging hurried feeling was starting to build up in her mind.

"Do you want me to stay?" Raul continued, sounding wary.

"No, I'd like you to come with," Layla answered. "If the Brotherhood doesn't like it, they can go blow."

Raul nodded, and soon they were piling back into the elevator. The Courier reached out to press the button for the casino level, but the car moved before she could.

"Huh… That's not good." Looking up at the dial on the wall, she saw the car was moving up, toward the penthouse.

"Are any of the Followers still poking around in here?" Raul asked.

"No," Layla answered. They'd been gone for more than a month. "Unless someone's been hiding out, there hasn't been anyone new in weeks."

The ghoul nodded, and Layla saw him draw his gun. Next to her, Boone had already freed his machete.

"Sweep the room when the doors open," Boone said. "Keep in the corner though. If anyone tries to get in, I'll take care of them." Raul nodded.

"What about me?" Layla piped up, starting to get nervous.

"If they get past us, shoot them in the face," Raul said, and Layla pulled the shotgun off her back.

A moment later, the doors opened onto the penthouse and… nothing. The room appeared empty. Boone backed further into the elevator car and pulled his rifle off his back, replacing his machete on his hip. He nodded to Raul, who stepped out, scanning the room. Boone motioned for Layla to follow, which she did.

Their search of the penthouse found no combatants, no intruders, no one at all.

"I guess it could have been some kind of malfunction…" Layla said thoughtfully. "Maybe some wires got crossed?"

"Something isn't right…" Boone said quietly, and Layla felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle.

The monitor bank that had been powered down since House's death suddenly flickered to life, making the Courier yelp. Her apology died on her tongue as she gaped at the figure on the screen.

"Yes Man?"

"Well hi there! I sure haven't seen you in a really looooong time!" The cheery tone on the robot matched the smile on his monitor.

"Isn't that-" Boone started, but Layla cut him off.

"Yes Man, who are you working for?" The Courier figured whatever scheme was going on, the perpetrator may not know Yes Man's inability to refuse orders, any orders.

"No need," a distinctive voice said from off camera, and Layla recoiled in horror as the person stepped into view.

"No no no, you're dead."

"I've heard the same spoken of you before…" said Vulpes Inculta.


	11. The Dark Hole You Crawled Out Of

It took Layla a few moments to throw off the shock of seeing Vulpes Inculta. He was dead. Or least he was supposed to be. Though she knew she shouldn't be surprised that the rat had survived getting thrown off Hoover Dam into the Colorado river.

She'd been told up and down that the frumentarii had been wiped out; all the Legion movement they'd seen had been Gaius Magnus and his troops. If Vulpes had been alive this whole time, why hadn't he been running things?

There were pressing matters right now, however. Like the smiling securitron staring at her on the screen. Vulpes had disappeared from view, so she took the opportunity to talk to the securitron.

"Yes Man!" Layla cried, "whatever he's told you to do, stop! And don't listen to him!" The Courier had no clue if either of those commands would work, but she was panicking. Yes Man would obey anyone within hearing distance, and he could control All of the Lucky 38's machinery and software. There was a nuclear reactor somewhere in this building.

And then there was the matter of the securitron army Layla had left dormant at Fortification Hill.

Yes Man was still pointing his cheery face at the screen, but hadn't reacted to Layla's cry. Just as she was about to call to him again, Vulpes Inculta reappeared on the screen, looking smug.

"I've cut the audio from your side," he explained. "You're no doubt aware of the robot's formatting."

"Shit." She glanced at Raul and Boone. They were standing close by, their eyes scanning the room, probably expecting something to jump out at them at any moment.

"You, as always, are proving difficult to deal with," Vulpes continued. "You were supposed to be apprehended before you got to your hearing. But the NCR officials will still see what you're about to do as an act of war."

"What are you talking about?" Layla demanded.

"You'll undoubtedly start noticing a change on the Strip."

Horrified, Layla ran over to the wall of windows and looked down. It was somewhat hard to make it out, but she could see people running in the streets.

Then she saw a securitron roll over and gun down a fleeing group. There were MPs and NCR soldiers firing on the robots, but most that attacked were either shot down or ripped apart by the grenades the securitrons lobbed at them.

The robots didn't seem to be just killing; most of the people in the streets were getting herded into the casinos. Layla ran back to the monitor bank.

"What are you doing with those people?" she cried. Only when he grinned in response did she remember that he shouldn't be able to hear her.

_Probably can read lips_, her brain whispered.

"You've just declared martial law on the Strip," Vulpes said, "And taken all of its NCR residents hostage. The acting governor should be a potent bargaining chip in the least. And speaking of chips… " He held up the Platinum Chip. "You truly were foolish to leave the keys to your fortress lying around."

Layla's covered her mouth with her hands, horrified.

"I'll be reestablishing the audio connection in just a moment," he continued. First…" He turned to Yes Man.

"Finalize the programs we've discussed, then destroy yourself."

"Are you sure, buddy?" Yes Man asked. "I can't help you if I'm all dead!"

"Do it."

Judging by the irritation in his tone, Layla guessed that the Legionary had probably grown tired of the robot's demeanor. Most robots, however, were programmed to preserve themselves against this kind of thing.

"Well, if you insist!" The face on the securitron's screen flickered, then the monitor filled with numbers.

"Goodbye, cruel world!" the cheerful voice crowed as the screen flashed brightly, then darkened. Layla stared at the screen in horror.

"He… You killed him," she eventually sputtered.

"You can't 'kill' a machine," Inculta said, sounding amused. "Though I don't find it surprising you'd be overly sentimental about such things."

Realizing the audio connection was back, Layla spoke again.

"I thought Gaius Magnus was in charge of Legion," she asked. "Aren't you the highest ranked now?"

That caused the first crack in the frumentarius' smile. A neutral look settled over his face before he spoke again.

"The Legion is dead. I am its knell."

"What's your plan?" Layla asked. She didn't like his tone; his usual smugness was gone, replaced with a cold seriousness that was unsettling. Layla started to think he'd finally lost it completely, but there were other matters to worry about now.

"You're not going to just kill everyone on the Strip, are you?" she demanded. There'd be so many people out there, never mind Swank and Marjorie and all the NCR officials at the embassy.

"They will not be harmed, so long as they do as they're told," Vulpes said as a grin slid on his face. "The Three Families have been disarmed, I assure you. And they will be the first to die if there is trouble. But worry about yourself for now; it's what I've learned profligates do in times of crisis."

"Why are you trapping us in here?" They had to get out of here, and if she kept Vulpes talking, he might just slip up and tell them how to do it.

"You will be kept in the penthouse for now. The NCR will be made to believe you have orchestrated this coup, and I can't have you telling them different."

"The NCR won't believe she's doing this," Boone said stiffly from her side, "not after what she's done."

"I'm sure you'll be amazed how little your people hold to their loyalties," he practically purred. "I've read some interesting articles about the traitorous actions she's engaged in."

The courier felt her stomach start wringing itself out. He was right; with everything that had been happening lately, a lot of people in the NCR government would readily believe she was trying to take back New Vegas.

"For now, you are still useful. I'll be along to collect you soon," Vulpes said, then nodded to someone off camera.

She wanted to question him further, but the monitor went dark and the room was suddenly silent. Boone and Raul had started moving the moment the transmission ended, but Layla kept staring at the darkened monitor.

Someone touched her arm and she jumped. Boone's face was grim as he looked at her.

"We need to get ready for them," he said.

"We can't get out of here?" she asked, hoping either of the other men had thought of something.

"Both elevators are sealed," Raul said as he walked over. "We can try breaking a window, but it's a long drop. Even if we figured out a way to lower ourselves, we'd just land on a pile of hostile securitrons."

Layla nodded dumbly, still unable to believe what was happening.

***.*.***

"She is frightened," Blood Moon said as they cut the feed to the Lucky 38. Vulpes wanted to revel in that fact alone, but the feeling came up hollow.

"We have given her ample reason to be so." He turned his gaze back to the men gathered around him. "Go. You all know what you have to do."

The group scattered, except Blood Moon and Alerio.

"The longer we wait, the more prepared they will be for us," Vulpes addressed them, allowing some of the irritation to reach his voice. Layla Granville was supposed to be safely tucked away already. He'd cursed his foolishness at allowing a group as unreliable as the Powder Gangers to apprehend her. He would correct the mistake himself.

"The sniper and the ghoul were there," Alerio said, even though it had been obvious. "There were all armed."

"On their way out," Blood Moon guessed. "It won't be easy getting to them."

"Fortunately, our forces have recently increased," Vulpes said as he looked down at the deactivated securitron at his feet.

"I'm not going to miss that fool machine," Alerio said, making Blood Moon bark a rare laugh.

***.*.***

"Don't stand near the elevator," Boone said as he watched Layla pace. The courier looked at him and nodded, then walked over to the sitting area and settled on the floor.

She wasn't taking this well; she'd been so happy when they'd gotten back to the Mojave, especially after they'd spoken to Colonel Hsu. It had seemed like things were finally calming down.

He knew her, though; she'd bounce back. She just needed some time to get what happened through her head and accept it.

Boone was looking at the furniture, deciding where to start stacking it, but his eyes wandered back to Layla on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. He walked over to the sitting area and sat next to the courier, putting his arms around her. She pressed herself to his chest without a word.

He wanted to tell her something that would help, but he couldn't get his thoughts straight enough figure out what to say. That kind of thing would never come easily for him. Instead, he just held her.

Layla's even breathing against him was rhythmic and soothing; eventually he felt his eyelids start to droop. He shook it off. As much as he wanted to just sit there with her, they had to be practical.

"We need to be ready," he said, and felt Layla nod against his chest. They started to untangle from each other when Boone thought he heard a clang.

"Elevator's moving," Raul said from the other side of the room. The sniper was on his feet in an instant. He'd thought they'd have more time.

"Get into the back of the room," he said to Layla as Raul jogged over. "We'll start moving-"

"Wait," Layla said, making a confused face as there were more clangs. "It's not the elevator car."

"What?" Boone asked, not really sure what that meant. He saw Raul giving a thoughtful look in the direction of the door.

"She's right; whatever that is, it's not someone riding the elevator."

"ED-E" Layla called, and the robot chirped as he flew over, "Scan the door, quickly."

The robot twilled a series of beeps as he moved to the elevator. After a moment, he zoomed back, and Layla checked her Pip-Boy.

"Not securitrons," she said. "There'd be more radio signals."

"Could be Legionaries," Boone said, though he'd been sure the frumentarius would send a few waves of robots after them first. Either way, he wasn't taking a chance.

Stepping back to the sitting area, he helped Raul turn over the heavy coffee table, then looked back to the courier.

"Stay here with Raul and ED-E," he said to Layla. "I'll watch the door."

Layla looked like she was going to protest, but didn't. Instead, she hunkered down with the ghoul.

Boone positioned himself at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the elevator door. If hostiles came through, he could snap off a few shots and retreat back to the others. He wanted to kick himself for not getting a barricade set up.

He quickly slid his bag off his back and dug out the power glove Raul had fixed for him. It was supposed to short out electrical wiring; even if there were no securitrons in the elevator, they'd be facing them soon enough.

Handling his rifle was awkward with the bulky power glove on his hand. Just as he considered taking it back off, there was another loud clang from the elevator.

The door made a loud, creaking noise, then opened a crack.

"Will one of you assholes help me?" came a cry from the door. Immediately recognizing the voice, Boone leapt to his feet and ran up the stairs. Grabbing one side of the door, he pulled has hard as he could.

It took a lot of effort, but he was finally able to wrench the door opened with the help of the one hand clutching the other side. Once the door was open, he reached in and helped Cass into the room.

"Cass?" Layla cried from behind him as he reached back into the elevator shaft. Cass held onto his waist to anchor him as he helped Veronica up.

"Oh my god, am I happy to see you," the courier said as she joined them, throwing her arms around the scribe just as she got her feet on the floor.

"Not so hard!" Veronica cried as Layla squeezed her.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Cass demanded as Raul and ED-E joined them.

"You remember Vulpes Inculta? Head of the Frumentarii? Techincally the highest ranked Legionary left? The one who's supposed to be dead?" the ghoul said as he looped an arm around the caravaneer.

"What about him?" Cass asked, sounding suspicious.

"He didn't stay dead," Layla grumbled. "And he has Yes Man."

"Can't we just fix what he did?" Veronica asked. "If we can get to Yes Man, we can just have him undo it."

"Yes Man is dead," Layla said, "and the only one who really knew his programming was Emily." Her face twisted into shock. "The Outpost! He must have attacked it to get to her!" she cried.

"And he managed to frame the Brotherhood while he was at it," the scribe said sourly.

"What happened to you?" Layla asked, looking at Veronica like she'd just realized the girl was there.

"Elder McNamara put us back in lock down," Veronica said with a grimace. "I managed to sneak out. And I probably shouldn't go back until we get this all fixed."

"We need to get out of here, now," Boone said. They could catch up once they were safe.

"Okay," Cass said as she disengaged herself from Raul. "We got up by-"

"Oh hey, I knew it!" Veronica said as she looked at Cass and Raul.

"Focus," Layla said. "That's old news."

"It is?"

"_Focus_," Raul said. "How did you two get up here?"

"We climbed the stairs to the 28th floor," Veronica said, back to the matter at hand. "There's an ladder bolted to the wall of the elevator shaft."

"Can we get back to the suite?" Layla asked. She didn't like the idea of Vulpes rooting through her underwear drawer while she was gone.

Cass shook her head. "The only way in is the elevator."

"Someone could swing down through the elevator shaft," Veronica pointed out.

"There's no safe way to secure a rope," Boone noted.

"And I'm too old to put on a Zorro mask," Raul said. "Is there anything vital in the suite?"

"There's a lot of guns and supplies, but otherwise…" the Courier said after thinking a moment. "And my letters from Joshua."

"Who?" Veronica asked.

"He's a friend, one I don't want Vulpes knowing is alive," Layla answered quickly. Boone noticed she'd been evasive to the others about the Burned Man and her friendship with him. She probably thought they wouldn't approve. That made sense; if he hadn't been there when it all happened, he wouldn't have been happy to hear it.

"He probably already knows," Cass pointed out. "It was his spies Caesar kept sending to get slaughtered."

Layla looked unhappy, but nodded. "We should go. I don't want him in there, but there isn't much we can do about it."

"Back down the hole then," Veronica said. Layla peeked into the empty elevator shaft. Some of the color drained from her face.

"Great."

* * *

Thank you all for reading. Just a note: Someone asked on Layla's Ask blog for the story of what happened at Black Mountain. Black Mountain Blues can be found at "layla-the-courier" on Tumblr. This is the 'official' version for my series.


	12. Deus Ex Machina

The Strip was crawling with securitrons; they patrolled up and down the deserted streets. Layla watched from her hiding spot as two of the robots escorted a group of people they'd found and herded them into the Gomorrah.

They had managed to get out of the Lucky 38 without any major trouble. Now they were huddled against the side building facing the Strip's gate. No one usually came to the outer side of the casino. They had a straight run to the gates. However, Raul had pointed out they were probably locked and had securitrons on the other side.

So Boone and ED-E had gone to take look; ED-E flew high , close to the top of the fence while Boone kept low and against the wall. Layla watched, trying not to get too nervous; she didn't really know what would happen if either of them were spotted.

The courier grimaced; this was all her fault. She should have been more careful. She should have figured out how everything in the Lucky 38 worked. She should have spoken to Yes Man about his abilities. She should have protected both the robot and Emily. If she hadn't been so secretive about the casino; if she'd just let more people look at it, she may have seen this coming. Now Vulpes Inculta was in control of the Strip, and she doubted he'd stop there.

"Hey," Veronica whispered from her side, breaking up her thoughts, "are you okay?"

Layla grimaced as she looked over to the other girl. "No."

"I know," the scribe said, then shrugged. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Layla admitted. "We need to either find Vulpes or figure out his plan. It's just a matter of time before he activates the securitron army. I don't even know how many there are." She groaned, running her fingers into her hair and massaging her scalp in frustration. "All that information would be in House's computers."

"Which is where we're currently running from," Veronica sighed.

"First thing's first," Cass said, still watching the gate. "We need to get out of here."

"Then what?" Veronica asked.

"Worry about that once we're away from the robot death squads," Raul said. "Boone's coming back."

Layla peeked past Cass' shoulder to see the sniper quickly sneaking their way, face grim.

"It's locked," he said quietly as he reached them. "I can't pick it."

"I can," Raul and Layla said at the same time.

"If we just pop it and run…" Layla started, trailing off as ED-E floated back, whistling. Layla listened carefully.

"Well?" Cass asked.

"There's six securitrons on the other side of the gate. They're keeping people out."

"And in," Raul grumbled. "We could try to fight them off, but they'll have the advantage."

"Too dangerous," Cass said.

"Why don't we just hop the fence?" Veronica asked. "It's meant to keep people out, not in."

"Boost me up," Boone said. Veronica and Raul moved over and cupped their hands together.

"ED-E, go make sure it's clear," Layla called to the eyebot, who whistled quietly and floated over the fence. A moment later came a furtive beep.

"Launch him," the courier said to the others, and Boone stepped up on their joined hands. Once they boosted him, he grabbed the top of the fence and swung over. Layla heard him land on the other side, then silence.

"Clear," Boone called quietly after a moment.

"Come on," Veronica said to Layla. She stepped up on the waiting hands, then scrambled over the fence, far less smoothly than Boone had. Once she cleared the edge, she dropped down into Boone's waiting arms.

Cass was over next, then Raul. Boone was boosted back up to help Veronica over.

"Now what?" the scribe hissed once they had landed.

"The Kings," Layla whispered as she looked around nervously. "I need to know what they know. What _anyone_ knows."

They ran through the streets of Freeside in bursts. Once they got to an intersection, Boone and Raul would peer around for any signs of the robots. A few times they had to backtrack and duck into an alley. As they got further away from the Strip's gate, the securitrons tapered off.

After what felt like an eternity, Layla spotted the neon sign of the Kings' hideout. It wasn't until they got closer that she noticed something was off. The Kings, two of the newer members whose names Layla couldn't place, gave her suspicious looks, then drew their weapons.

"Woah!" Layla cried. "I'm-"

"We know who you are," the shorter of the two Kings said, "and you're not taking us too."

"Taking you? What are you talking about?" Layla said, perplexed. "Listen, I need to see the King."

"Oh, you're gonna see the King all right," the taller one said as a few other gang member surrounded them.

***.*.***

"We got Layla Granville!" Jim cried as he ran into the King's room. The gang leader sighed heavily and stood; he knew this was coming. He didn't want to believe the courier had gone against all the treaties and goodwill she'd made, but a look out the window said otherwise.

"What has she done?"

"Nothing yet," Jim said. "We have her and her friends in the stage room."

"They surrendered?" The King asked, surprised.

"She… I don't know, she seems confused."

That wasn't what the gang leader had been expecting. The King started down the steps and made his way to the stage room. He opened the door and found Layla and a group of her friends sitting at one of the tables. The King had been prepared to read her the riot act, but he stopped once he saw the girl.

Rex had his head on the courier's knee while she stroked his fur. She looked like she'd aged ten years since the last time he'd seen her. Boone and Raul both stood as he entered. They looked angry.

"What on Earth is going on around here!?" the King blurted out. Layla looked up.

"The securitrons-"

"Those robots have the Strip locked down. Some of my people are trapped in there!" he interrupted. "What happened to all the that negotiation and hoops you made us jump through?"

The courier looked miserable. Good. If she thought he'd just smile and hand her the keys to Freeside then-

"I'm calling in my favor," she said simply. That stopped him. He did owe her, but she didn't think he'd just bow over because she asked…

"I didn't do this," she said. "There's too much to explain, but the Legion's behind it. We need to get our bearings, then we need to get out of here. If you can do anything to help those people get out of there, I'd appreciate that too." She scratched behind Rex's ear. "And if anyone asks, none of you have seen us."

The King stared at her for a few moments. He hadn't wanted to believe Layla had suddenly changed colors and decided to play dictator, but he'd seen good people go bad in the past. He was relieved he'd been wrong.

"Deal," he said. "What are you going to do?"

Layla sighed heavily. The tired look on her face came back as she answered.

"I don't know."

***.*.***

Get to Novac for her back-up supplies, then head to Primm and find out what the couriers at the Mojave Express had heard. That was their plan.

Layla held back a grimace at the thought; it wasn't much of a plan at all, but it was the best they'd been able to come up with. They needed something to focus on; hopefully the pieces would come together on their own.

"I have to get back to my caravan," Cass said as the left the Kings' building. "They're supposed to be heading for the Strip tonight."

This wasn't a surprise, but it made Layla uneasy. She didn't like the woman traveling on her own.

"All right," she answered, "but you're taking Raul with you."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are; I don't like the idea of you running around on your own."

"Sorry, _Mother,_ but he's staying with you," the older woman bit out. "You're the one who's got the big target painted on her back. You need all the help you can get."

"Why do I get to stay with the target?" Raul said, then stepped over to Cass.

"Make sure you're in one piece when you get back; I can only keep things together by myself for so long," he said to her, and they kissed. Layla felt herself blush at the display and looked away. She found Veronica giving her an I-told-you-so look. Whatever she'd been planning to do in retaliation was interrupted as Cass threw her arms around Layla.

"_Be careful_. For the love of God, you are the biggest sack of trouble I've ever met."

"I don't try to be," Layla said as she hugged back. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah yeah, as soon as I get my caravan settled somewhere safe, I'll head for Primm."

"What if there's trouble?" Veronica asked.

"Send a courier," Layla said, "a Mojave Express one."

"Can we trust them?" Veronica asked. "Just because they're friendly with you…"

"I own the Mojave Express," Layla said simply. "We can trust them."

"You bitch; you've been keeping secrets," Cass said with a laugh. "And here I thought you didn't have a mind for business."

"It was more for politics… but it's a good investment," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, send it with a note to Mr. Nash. He'll make sure it gets to me."

The other woman nodded, then gave Raul another squeeze.

Watching Cass steal off wasn't improving Layla's mood. The caravaneer would move more quickly on her own. And if the NCR believed the courier had caused this trouble, they might go after her friends. She didn't want everyone to end up in jail because of her.

They started out of Freeside and down the road that would take them to Novac. The moon was overhead now, and the path was mercifully quiet.

"I'm tired," Veronica spoke up after they'd been traveling for a while. Layla was somewhat startled to realize that was the first thing that had been said in long while. She usually talked nonstop when they traveled. "And I know you all are too," the scribe continued. "We're not going to last long if we just keep running without stopping to rest."

Layla sighed; she was right. The last hour she'd started to feel weariness set in; they hadn't rested since coming back from California. Even if she wanted to keep running until she dropped, that wouldn't end well. She looked up at Boone and Raul and found them both frowning.

"There's an abandoned house up ahead," Boone said eventually. "We can stop there."

"If it's still abandoned," Layla murmured.

"If it has running water, I'll make it abandoned," Veronica muttered. "I feel like the inside of a wet sock."

***.*.***

The Lucky 38 was quiet; it was midmorning, right about the time Layla usually took a nap when she was home. The courier was sprawled across the bed in the master suite. She was alone except for ED-E, but the eyebot was in maintenance mode.

The elevator to the suite opened, and a securitron rolled out. Its face wasn't right; the soldier program was distorted.

"Presssziiiddnetial suuuuuiiii- it- ite" it announced, then stood still. A moment later three men crept out into the hallway. They moved quickly and quietly; systematically checking each room. Once they were done, they gathered in front of the master suite's door, and the leader nodded.

One of the others carefully and quietly opened the door and all three men snuck in. Layla was still asleep, unaware of the three men moving to surround her. The leader nodded again, and the other two reached down, each grabbing one of the courier's arms.

She woke then, crying out as she was turned over to face her attackers.

"So easy," Vulpes Inculta said, reaching down to rip the girl's tank top off as she screamed –

Boone let out a strangled noise as he woke, sitting up. He looked around the room, recognizing the shack they'd stopped in for the night. Raul looked over from his spot by the door, eyebrow raised.

The sniper shook his head in response, then lied back on the bed.

"Wass wrong?" Layla murmured from his side, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"Nothing," Boone answered, pulling the girl close to him. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed, falling back to sleep instantly.

Boone lightly stroked her hair as he held her to his chest. His nightmare kept coming back to him; they had no clue how long Inculta had been holding the Platinum Chip. It would have been easy to come into the Presidential suite and attack Layla when she was alone.

He'd left her unguarded in the casino because he'd fooled himself into thinking it was safe. The backdoor had been there with Yes Man; they'd known it the whole time. It had been sloppy, and they were just lucky the Legionary's plans hadn't included snatching Layla sooner.

That thought didn't set well with him. Layla made a small grunting noise, and he realized he'd been squeezing her.

"Hnh… You okay?" the girl asked, looking at him with sleepy eyes.

"Yeah," he answered. She gave him a hazy grin.

"Love you."

"Love you too," Boone answered, kissing the top of her head.

"Sleep. Gotta get out soon," Layla murmured. "Don't wanna burn it out."

He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but Layla was already asleep by the time he thought to ask. To be fair, she might have been asleep before she'd finished the sentence. That happened sometimes.

Boone glanced Raul's way again, and found him cleaning his revolvers. Veronica had just come up from the basement, grimacing as she combed her fingers through her wet hair. There had been running water, but it wasn't completely clean. The scribe caught his eye and she stopped, putting her hands on her hips. She made a 'sleep' gesture, then jabbed a finger in his direction.

Sighing, he nodded and let his head fall back on his pillow. As he drifted off, he felt Layla starting to drool on him.

***.*.***

The next day came, and Raul was convinced Layla had gotten over the initial shock of their situation. The ghoul had hoped she'd bounce back. Instead she seemed depressed.

They'd stopped at Novac to pick up some of Layla's emergency supplies. She and Boone had snuck in and out, not wanting anyone to see them. That hadn't improved the Courier's mood any.

Now they were headed for Primm. Layla's admission about owning the Mojave Express had been the first welcome news the ghoul had heard in a while; the ability to keep in contact with people would be a big help in getting this mess figured out.

"Up ahead," Boone said, and Raul squinted as a group of silhouettes became visible on the road before them. They'd been trying to avoid anyone on the road; Vulpes would be looking for them, and even harmless strangers could spread word of seeing them.

"We can duck into Nipton," Veronica pointed out. They were just about to reach the road that led up to the town.

The courier made a sickly face, but nodded.

Nipton's fires had stopped burning a long time ago, and the bodies had been cleaned up. Someone had pulled down the crimson banners that had been set up a year ago by Vulpes Inculta and his men. But even though the signs of brutality were long gone, Nipton remained empty. Raul figured people were being superstitious, but even he could feel death in the abandoned town as they walked through the center.

"Let's get out of here as quick as we can," Layla said as they reached the stairs leading up to the town hall. "I don't know about you guys, but this place gives me the…"

She trailed off as she looked back up at the building. The door had opened and a man had stepped through. He was in his fifties, by the look of him, with a scarred face and scraped and dented armor. The man took one look at the group, then started laughing.

"What are _you_ doing here!?" he crowed. "We were just about to come looking for you."

"Do I know you?" Layla asked; Raul didn't recognize him, but plenty of people knew who the courier was now.

"No, but I'm a big fan," the man laughed, then whistled. The shrill noise echoed through the town. Boone had clearly had enough of this and started pulling his rifle off his back.

"Hold it, soldier," the man said. "Don't want to get my friends too antsy."

"We're surrounded," Veronica said from behind. Raul turned to find a group of armored men had appeared behind them and were starting to close in. None of them had fired, though weapons were in their hands.

"That's right, princess," the man at the town hall door said. "I've had some easy jobs, but I've never had a target come knock on my door."

"Veronica," Boone murmured, "break down the door on the left." They were close to one of the homesteads that lined the road. The scribe ran over and slammed the door with her powerfist.

The door make a loud crack as it snapped open. She ran in, followed by the others. Raul and Boone backed in last, weapons ready, but their pursuers never opened fire. Raul attempted to close the door behind them, but it was in shambles. Peeking out, he saw two of the five men standing in view of the door. The others were moving around the side of the house.

"They're going around the back," he said.

"Who is that guy?" Veronica asked. "He's acting like he knows you."

"Well I don't know him," Layla grumbled. "He must read the paper."

"What are we going to do?" the scribe continued. "I don't think they're gonna just let us leave."

Raul caught the grim look on Layla's face suddenly turn into a grin.

"We need to get out of here, now," she said, digging through her bag. "We'll go out the back door, then it's group hug time."

The others just stared at her.

"_Now_. ED-E, you too."

Raul shrugged and ran for the back door. Boone and Veronica followed suit. Layla dug a strange-looking laser pistol from her bag as the ghoul opened the door and peeked out. The three men hadn't reached the back of the building yet.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Layla cried, and soon all four were huddled together outside the doorway while ED-E floated in the middle.

"So…why are we doing this?" Raul asked.

"Hold on," Layla said holding up the laser pistol.

"What is th-" the courier cut Veronica off.

"Closer together."

They squeezed closer, and Layla pointed the gun at the sky.

"I hope this works."

She pulled the trigger, and blue light flooded the area.

***.*.***

Layla sighed in relief as she saw the balcony of the Sink. The teleporter had worked, even with the extra… people? She spun around when she saw she was alone.

"Boone? Veronica?! Raul!" Hearing nothing, she did a quick lap of the balcony, then slapped the door control and ran into the Sink.

The suite was dark and quiet, which was strange enough.

"Boone?!" she yelled. "ED-E are you…"

There was a shrill whistle, and the eyebot came zooming over.

"ED-E!" Layla cried with relief. "Have you seen the others?" The robot whistled a negative. Layla shook her head in exasperation.

Where could they be?

***.*.***

Once the spots faded from his vision, Boone looked around, disoriented. It didn't take him long to get his bearings back, but he found himself in an unfamiliar room.

It was huge and open with computer terminals and monitor banks all over the walls and the few counter islands around the room. The air tasted like antiseptic and rust.

He didn't see anyone, but felt movement behind him and turned.

A set of monitors that displayed eyes and a mouth connected to a jar with a brain floated in front of him.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" came a booming voice from the thing. "HOW DID IT GET IN HERE?! SOMEONE GET OVER HERE AND LOBOTOMIZE THIS UNLOBOTIMZED LOBOTOMITE!"

* * *

Thank you for reading. I hope you're all enjoying the dog days of summer :)


	13. Research

Gaboon blinked the spots from his eyes. He had turned the corner of the farmhouse just in time to see the courier fire a blinding blue light.

He'd been sure his time had come, expecting to be splashed with plasma. When no pain came, he grew confused.

Now that he could see again, his confusion grew. The courier and her group were gone.

"Search the house," he said to Rudner, who'd come up behind him. The man ran for the house with Jeremiah, while Gaboon circled around the building. They weren't near the house, and they hadn't run behind it; there was nowhere for them to hide. They must be inside.

Gaboon moved to the back door. Rudner and Jeremiah would need help. Before he could reach the door, it opened and the two Viper stepped out.

"They're not here," Jeremiah said with a shrug.

"How could that-"

"What happened?" River Jack said as he walked over. He didn't look happy.

"Did they come your way?" Gaboon asked, now incredibly confused.

"No," the Viper leader answered, clearly expecting an explanation.

"I... don't know where they went," the Viper admitted to his leader. He wasn't sure what the old merc would make of that; the courier and her group had disappeared into thin air.

River Jack frowned, looking up at the sky. Gaboon felt himself getting worried, until Jack started laughing loudly.

"Finally, a job worth doing!"

***.*.***

Layla ran for the Think Tank with ED-E trailing behind her. The doctors would be able to get a lock on the locations of the others, presuming they'd been teleported to Big Mountain with her.

This had been a terrible idea; they may have been desperate to get away from the group in Nipton, but she'd had no idea what would happen using the teletransporter-thing with that many people. For all she knew, her friends were dead.

She nearly lost her footing at that thought. They'd trusted her, and she got their atoms all-

She slapped the door control to the Think Tank and nearly wilted with relief when she saw Boone.

"DESTROY THE INTRUDER! WELL, DESTROY THE NON-USEFUL PARTS. KEEP ANYTHING WE CAN STUFF INTO A ROBOT!" Dr. Klein bellowed. The sniper was rapidly backpedaling from the doctor as he reached for his rifle.

"Wait!" Layla cried, running in their direction. "Wait! He's with me!"

Boone turned at her voice, looking nearly as relieved as she felt.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BRINGING FRIENDS?! I SAID NO FRIENDS IN THE HOUSE!" Klein sniffed. Layla stuck her hands on her hips as she approached the doctor.

"No you didn't, and I didn't have much choice," she said. "No lobotomizing any of my friends. No experiments on them at all."

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU SHOWED UP UNANNOUNCED. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO WITH ONE OF YOU FLESH MONSTROSITIES JUST WANDERING AROUND?"

Layla sighed, then looked back to Boone. The sniper was giving them both a confused look.

"This is Dr. Klein. Over there's Doctor 8, Doctor Dala, Doctor Borous and Doctor Zero. Later I'll have to introduce you to Doctor Mobius." She indicated each Think Tank doctor as she mentioned them. Boone was still staring at them.

"They're the doctors who... uh, sent out the satellite," Layla continued, almost immediately regretting it when the sniper started glowering.

"The ones who took out your brain," he growled.

"And heart and spine!" Dr. Borous added dramatically. It didn't seem to calm the sniper any.

"It was a misunderstanding," Layla said. "I'll explain later." She quickly changed the subject. "Have you seen Raul or Veronica?"

"No," Boone said, finally looking away from the Think Tank.

"Okay, that's not a problem… I hope," Layla said, then looked back to Dr. Klein. "Where is the surveillance terminal?"

"Over here," Dr. Zero said as he floated over. "You uh, brought more than one, then?"

"Yeah, I was hoping you can help me find where the others got to," the courier explained.

"Uh sure... I think I can do that... maybe."

***.*.***

The eerie silence of the barren landscape dotted with industrial ruins was broken by the sounds of a firefight growing steadily louder. A group of what appeared to be skeletons in space suits came into view, pursued by several large, robotic scorpions.

Occasionally the skeletons would turn to fire their laser rifles at the scorpions, which returned fire with blasts of blue energy from the stingers on their tails.

A human-like voice could be heard, apparently coming from the scorpions.

"HA! You're mad to think you can defeat the might of Mobius!" the voice bellowed in the midst of the laser fight. "Feel the deadly sting of my robo-scorpions. Sting, robo-scorpions! Sting them all to death! Then wait for them to get back up and sting them again!"

The voice continued its taunting as the scorpions chased the skeletons off into the distance.

"Huh," Veronica said. She looked over at Raul from their position on the top of a cliff overlooking the scene. "What the hell was that?" The ghoul merely shrugged in response.

_"Veronica Santeangelo and Raul Tejada, please report to the large, domed structure."_

Veronica looked up as Layla's voice echoed throughout the area.

_"Veronica Santelangelo and Raul Tejada, please report to the large, domed structure. The blue one, not the sinister-looking red one."_

"Should I be relieved?" Raul asked. Veronica laughed.

"Hell if I know."

***.*.***

Boone was relieved to see the others. Veronica and Raul had little trouble reaching the building once they got past the robot/skeleton fight. Boone noticed Layla's mood had greatly improved now that they were all together.

"...Well I'm just happy I can actually talk about it now," Layla continued as she escorted her friends to the Sink. "I asked Dr. Zero to go over his securitron information; he's got a lot. I guess he didn't care for Mr. House, so he spent a lot of time pulling his machines apart."

"That should be useful," Raul pointed out. "So where are we going now, boss?"

"The Sink," Layla explained as she side-stepped a small robot that rolled along the floor. "It's where I stay when I'm here. Today sucked almost as badly as yesterday. I just want to lie down for a while."

"When you're here?" Veronica asked. "How many times have you been here?"

"Oh," Layla stopped in her tracks. "Um, I…" She turned around to find the others had stopped walking and were staring at her.

"I've been back a few times..."

"Why would you come back?" Veronica asked.

"Why didn't you mention it?" Raul asked after.

"Well, to answer the second question first," Layla said as she continued toward the Sink, "I couldn't, remember? As for the first, there's a lot of useful tech here. And a whole garden full of produce and an auto-doc barber."

"So THAT'S how you got your hair back long and brown after that New Sloan deal," Veronica cried.

"Yes," Layla said simply. "Anyway, because I'm here I can tell you about all the crazy stuff the Think Tank did to me before I convinced them to work for me. The mental conditioning they gave me doesn't affect me while I'm here, apparently."

"Sounds like the kind of place I'd want to go back to visit," Raul mumbled just as the courier hit the door control for the Sink.

"Muggy!" Layla called as she entered. "…Muggy?" She turned to the jukebox. "Where's Muggy, and why is it so dark in here?"

"Well, I guess there was a bit of confusion-" said a voice from the jukebox before it was interrupted.

"Confusion?!" a woman's voice cried from further down the hall. "He forgot my name!"

"Now that's just not true…." the jukebox hesitated.

"Well?! Don't tell me you forgot again!"

"Calm down!" Layla cried. "Number 01, turn on the smart lights. We're going to need them."

"Of course," came the woman's voice again, and the overhead lights flickered on.

"Sir, are those guests?" the tactical map in the center of the room asked in a prim voice.

"Yes," the courier answered. "Please remind the doctors they are not to be lobotomized. In fact, there will be dire consequences if ANY organs are removed. And no biochemical tests. No tests at all. Oh, and have the tiny robots bring up a couple cots or medical beds or something. There's got to be something comfortable to sleep on."

"Very good, sir," the map device answered.

Layla nodded, then set her bag down.

"How are you, Auto-Doc?" she called.

"Just fine," a voice called from the hall. "Any injuries today?"

"Not now, thank you. Just give it time."

The girl smiled as the voice let out a laugh. She then dug through her pack and pulled out a toaster.

"Tooooaster! I've got a new victim for you-" she called as she disappeared into the next room.

The courier came charging back into the main room a moment later and faced the jukebox, now holding a different toaster with a huge black splotch on it.

"What happened to Toaster!?" she cried.

"An accident," the jukebox replied.

"An accident! What happened?"

The jukebox didn't answer right away, and Layla started looking upset.

"He fell into a bathtub," said the female voice who'd been arguing with the jukebox.

"Oh..." Layla bit her lip. "How did it happen?"

"Maybe it was suicide," the jukebox answered. Layla snorted, then started laughing. The jukebox joined her.

"That's not... okay, that's funny," said the voice from the other room, then started laughing as well. The female voice joined in.

Soon Layla and every appliance in the room were laughing together. They all started to calm down after a few minutes, then began laughing hysterically again.

Layla paused to catch her breath and finally seemed to notice that her companions had been staring at her the whole time. She bit her lip, then held up the toaster.

"Raul... you can repair toasters, can't you?"

The appliances all started laughing again.

***.*.***

Boone sat on Layla's bed with a groan and started unlacing his boots. She'd eventually calmed down and introduced them to every 'personality' that lived in her suite. This place was like a dream; none of it made sense and all of it was starting to get on his nerves.

He spared enough energy to pull off his boots and socks and shimmy out of his pants and shirt, then lied back on the bed.

"Hey."

He looked up to find Layla in the doorway. She grinned, not bothering to hide her leering as she looked him over.

"Hey," he answered. "Nice bed."

"It's really comfortable, isn't it? It was Dr. Mobius'. It was one of the only things that kept me sane when I first got here."

She moved over to the bed and gathered up the discarded pieces of Boone's uniform. As she started neatly folding the clothes, she frowned.

"You're going to get in trouble for coming with me... The NCR isn't going to like what's happened to the Strip."

"Yeah," was all Boone said. He'd already thought about this. Colonel Hsu had done them a favor ordering him by Layla's side, but it may end up costing him his job, or worse.

He didn't voice that. He didn't know if Layla knew what the penalty for deserting was. The NCR still considered itself at war with the Legion, even if the main battle at Hoover Dam was over.

They'd thought there was nothing left but clean up, but they'd been wrong. Vulpes Inculta had to have spent the last few months in hiding, setting this whole mess up. The thought made him a lot angrier than he expected.

Layla put Boone's uniform into one of the lockers against the wall, then started pulling at the straps on her armor, peeling herself out of the plating and body suit. Boone let his head fall back on the pillow as he heard her open one of the other lockers to stow her gear.

"Oh. You," came a muffled voice. Boone cocked his head back up to see what it was coming from and found Layla giving a sour look to a set of armor in the locker.

"I thought you were going to tell Sink Intel where to ship you?" the courier said, frowning.

"I don't have to go anywhere if I don't want to. You're just so inconsiderate, it's amazing. And if you think-"

Layla closed the door with a groan and shoved her armor into another, empty locker. Turning back, a mischievous smile came to her face.

"See? You wouldn't have believed me about this place even if I could have told you."

Boone grunted at that. "Lotta strange stuff happens to you."

She laughed as she crawled onto the bed, settling at his side.

"I hope Raul can fix Toaster… Maybe we should bring him home," she said, putting her head on his chest. "Poor Toaster…"

"Why do the other… others hate him?" Boone asked, ignoring how ridiculous it was asking about the social standing of a toaster.

"Oh, well he's a little… harsh. He wants to destroy the world with 'nuclear fire.' I told him someone already beat him to it, so he said he'd destroy it again."

"I understand," he said, and Layla laughed.

"You understand the toaster?"

"So you can talk about this place now, right?" Boone asked. Layla nodded against his chest.

"What did they do to you?"

The courier sat up. She frowned for a moment, then pointed at the scar on her head, the one barely visible at the nape of her neck with her hair in the way.

"They took out my brain and replaced it with Tesla coils," she said. "I guess usually you end up a zombie, but my brain had some crazy defect from when Benny shot me. I got lucky."

Her face fell somewhat, and Boone sat up. He pulled the girl over and kissed the back of her neck, on the scar.

"My spine was actually replaced with a metal one," she continued. "It was stronger and more durable, but I wanted my regular spine back." He heard the smile come back into her voice as she spoke. She twisted and pointed at her back.

Boone caught the hem of her undershirt and pulled it up, kissing the scar that ran up her back. Layla shivered.

Once he let her go, she turned back to him; he noticed the blush starting to form on her cheeks.

"The heart they gave me could filter out poisons and would last longer..." she trailed off as he pulled off her shirt and kissed the scar just above her left breast. She started trembling as his lips lingered on her skin, and he felt her hands skim his sides and move up to stroke his scalp before coming to a rest on his shoulders.

She made a small whimper as he gently laid her down on the bed. He leaned over and kissed her lips. She wrapped her arms around him.

His hand was on its way down to her panties when he heard a strange plunking noise. He stopped and sat up when he heard it again.

"What?" Layla gasped.

"Did you hear that?" he asked. The courier made a perplexed face and sat back up. He saw her look over his shoulder and gasp.

"Dr. Dala!"

Boone whirled around to find one of the Think Tank doctors floating in the doorway. He moved to shield Layla.

"Oh.. I... oooOOoo, I'm sorry to intrude, I… oh my." The sounds he'd heard were electron packs popping out of a port on her tank.

"Please don't stop on my account," the doctor continued, seeming to pull herself together.

"Get out of here!" Layla cried as she pressed herself into Boone's back. "NOW!"

"Very well. I, oh... I will go and review this for... oh, science."

"GET OUT!" Layla hollered. The doctor turned and quickly left the room. Boone stared at the door for a moment.

"I uh... They don't usually come in here," Layla said apologetically, still pressed against him.

"It's okay," Boone said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I..." She let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry... weren't we doing something?"

"Mm," Boone answered as Layla kissed the back of his neck. She started slowly kissing her way down to his back. Just as he was about to turn back to her, the door opened again.

"Veronica!" Layla cried, covering herself. "Knock first!"

Boone expected the scribe to say something to embarrass Layla and leave, but she looked angry.

"What is it?" the courier asked, noticing her demeanor as well.

"Christine was here," the scribe said, holding up a holotape, "and you _knew it_."

* * *

Well... that's the raciest thing I've ever posted, ever. :3


	14. Development

Sorry for the delay! Here's a double-sized chapter to make up for it!

* * *

The hum of machinery and gentle beeping of the monitors that lined the 'organ room' usually were calming to Layla. But as she stood in the room with Veronica, she found the noise grating on her nerves.

The scribe was turning a holotape in her hands; Layla had found several of them around Big Mountain; most were technical data, lab test results, a few personal journals as well. Among the journals had been Christine Royce's. The courier hadn't even thought to check the Sink to see if there was anything she needed to hide when she warped her friends in.

It was too late now; Veronica had obviously listened to one of her former girlfriend's tapes. Now they stood awkwardly in the room that housed Layla's spare artificial organs, not speaking. Layla didn't know what to say; she'd been keeping her knowledge of Christine secret for months at the woman's request.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Veronica said, finally breaking the silence. Layla's heart wrenched at the betrayal in the other woman's voice.

"Some of it I couldn't tell you." She waved around to the walls. The mental conditioning had kept her from talking about Big Mountain when she wasn't there. Veronica didn't seem impressed with that answer.

"And the rest... she told me not to," Layla continued. It came out sounding pitifully weak. "She made me promise."

"But why?"

"She didn't want you to go after her," the courier answered and immediately regretted it. The angry look that had been cemented to the other girl's face fell to sorrow.

"But, I thought she-"

"She still loves you," Layla blurted out. She hesitated to say the rest. If she told the scribe what she knew, she was going to be devastated, horrified.

Veronica was giving her a pleading look. Layla sighed heavily; it was too late to hide it any longer. She took a deep breath, then let it all out.

"Elijah was the one who pushed for you two to get separated. I don't know the exact reason, but that's why she got sent west. When the Brotherhood leadership back west got worried about what Elijah was up to, Christine was sent after him."

She hesitated, at the next part; the shock and pain on Veronica's face was hard to look at. Layla had decided to do this, however, so she continued.

"She followed him here and cornered him, but Eljiah managed to get her trapped in one of the labs. She was experimented on, like me. But…"

"But?"

Layla felt her heart wringing itself out; she hadn't put herself in Veronica's shoes until now. If Boone had disappeared of the face of the earth, she'd be devastated. And if their places were reversed, she didn't know what she would do if she found out Veronica had known where he was. Never mind what she had to tell the woman next.

"They did some kind of shock therapy tests on her. She can't read or understand numbers anymore."

"What?!" Veronica cried, "What do you mean? Is it permanent!?"

"As far as I knew the last time I talked to her, yes."

Veronica's face turned ashen. She leaned back on the tank that had once held Layla's brain. The courier bit her lip, not wanting to continue. But the scribe needed to know the whole story, even if it hurt.

"There's more," she said. Veronica looked sickly when she turned her gaze back to the courier.

"She was at the Sierra Madre with me; she was one of the people linked to my explosive collar. One of the others, a ghoul named Dean Domino, rigged an Auto-Doc to mess with her vocal chords so she'd sound like Vera Keyes."

"Vera Keyes, the actress? And Dean Domino? What...?" Veronica said in a cracked voice. The devastated look on her face was replaced with confusion.

"She doesn't sound like she used to." Layla pointed to the holotape Veronica was still holding. "There was a voiceprint in the security for the Sierra Madre, Domino set her up, had her voice changed so he could get in."

"What happened to him?" Veronica demanded suddenly, an ugly, hateful look coming over her.

"He's dead," Layla answered. "He tried to kill me when the wheels were falling off Elijah's plan. I killed him."

The scribe's scowl hadn't left, but the hard, hateful look in her eyes faded somewhat. The sudden silence in the room was becoming suffocating, but Layla couldn't make herself speak as Veronica just stared at the far wall.

Glancing up, she saw Boone and Raul in the main room. They could clearly hear everything she and Veronica were saying. The courier couldn't muster up the energy to care. Looking back to the scribe, she saw the girl's face had calmed somewhat; she processed bad news much faster than Layla.

This was awful; Layla hadn't been happy keeping this secret. There had been so many times she wished she could just tell the other woman about her girlfriend. But now that it was happening, it was terrible.

"We can go back," she said without really thinking about it. "I'll take you. I mean, once we get the current mess figured out."

"You said you'd never go back," Veronica countered.

"I did…" Layla admitted and shrugged. "But it's too dangerous to go without someone who knows the area…"

"Are you sure she's even there anymore?" Veronica asked, Layla nodded.

"There's a station here that monitors the casino. I've seen her a few times. She's been dealing with the Ghost People."

Veronica nodded, the shock starting to come back to her face.

"I… I think I need some time alone."

Layla felt her heart wring itself again, but nodded. She moved for the door, then hesitated.

"I wouldn't have kept this from you if she hadn't made me promise… and I think she didn't want to see you because of how changed she was…"

Veronica merely nodded, and Layla walked out of the room.

***.*.***

Layla plucked the weeds that had started shooting up around her bean stalks. Well, they weren't just hers. Biological Research Station tended to the plants on the day-to-day; he kept the troughs of plants watered and fertilized and made sure the temperature in the room was perfect via the environmental controls.

Weeding and harvesting were up to Layla. She'd questioned where the weeds had come from; these plants weren't exposed to outdoor air and its inevitable migrant seeds. Bio Station had informed her Dr. Mobius thought that having weeds to compete with made crops tougher, so periodically weed seeds were blasted into the room's air.

The neurotic, germaphobic sink personality that shared the room with Bio Station didn't care for that, apparently. She'd complained several times about it already.

At any rate, it was up to Layla to weed. Currently, she was grateful for it, it made for a good distraction of the rest of the world.

"What's wrong?" Bio Station said, startling her. They hadn't really spoken since she'd come in to tend to the plants. It was unusual for the Biological Station to show concern; he usually just told her she had a nice can.

"Nothing, just weeding," she answered.

"Mmm hm, I know when a babe's all mopey."

Layla pointed an annoyed look at the machine, then sighed.

"Friend trouble."

"See, that's why I don't have friends; too much work, not enough seeding. Though I would always consider a 'Friends with Benefits' kind of thing, if you're interested."

"No thanks," Layla mumbled as she started on the jalapeño trough. The weeds had cropped up pretty badly since she'd been here last. The poor plants needed cleaning before they got choked to death. That was good; it was easier to keep going if someone needed her. Even if it was a room full of plants.

The devastated look on Veronica's face was still haunting her thoughts. Layla couldn't hide behind the excuse of being asked to keep quiet any longer. She'd betrayed Veronica by not letting her know about Christine. The green and brown in the trough blurred as her eyes filled with tears.

No, no, can't stop now; the weeds would overtake the plants if she didn't do something about them. The plants were depending on her. The plants-

She jumped with a cry when arms suddenly circled her waist. She recognized Boone's hands when she looked down.

"Hey," he said softly, giving her a squeeze. Her vision blurred with tears again.

"Hey," she whimpered. "I'm weeding."

"I know," he said.

"Who's this?" Bio Station said, sounding suspicious. Layla felt Boone turn toward the research station; the courier hadn't introduced them yesterday with the others, not really sure how that would play out.

"This is Boone," she answered. "He's my boyfriend."

"I… see." Bio Station didn't sound happy. After a few moments of silence, it spoke up again. "I'm down for a three-way."

"Not gonna happen," Layla answered with a hiccupped laugh. She turned in Boone's arms and found him giving her a concerned look.

"You okay?" the man asked, and Layla felt a grimace form on her face.

"No," she looked down. "I... I should have told her."

"You made a promise," Boone said with a shrug.

"What if I was missing and Veronica knew where I was..." she said. "Would you be okay with her not telling you?"

He was quiet for a while. She'd been with the man long enough to know the prolonged silence meant he was collecting his thoughts. While she waited, she leaned her head on his chest. His arms tightened around her and they stayed that way until Boone spoke.

"I don't know," he said eventually. "I'd want to know where you are... but if you didn't want me to find you..."

Layla felt him squeeze harder. She worked her arms around him and squeezed back.

"Still good for that three-way..." Bio Station said conversationally.

"Shush," Layla said, voice muffled by Boone's shirt.

***.*.***

The next morning, Layla had to peel herself out of bed. She was going to have to ask Dr. Mobius if there was anything strange about that bed; she always felt so groggy getting out of it.

They gathered for a quick, slightly tense meal, then Layla suggested they talk to the doctors. As they walked to the Think Tank, the silence was palpable.

"Guys?" Veronica said suddenly, and Layla turned. Raul and Boone were also looking at the girl expectantly. She picked at her nails for a moment before speaking.

"Things... aren't okay. I'm..." she shrugged, "I have to think about a lot of stuff. But I'm not going to spaz out on anyone, and I'm still going to help."

"We'll all go with you to the Sierra Madre when this is over," Raul offered, and Veronica cracked a small smile.

"Thank you." She looked at Layla. "I can't just act like this didn't happen, but I can focus on stopping Vulpes for now."

The courier felt her stomach churn at that. To have something like that eating at Veronica didn't sit well with her at all.

"I'll be okay," Veronica said, seeming to read her mind. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Layla stared at her for a moment, then nodded. This was such bad timing, but they had to stay focused on what needed to be done. Turning back, Layla hit the door controls for the Think Tank's room.

The doctors were bustling around the large room as usual. Layla noticed Dr. Dala glance their way, then go back to her monitors, whistling loudly. The girl had planned to make a bee-line for Dr. Zero, but she found herself wanting to check up on a few things first. So she started for Dr. Borous first.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Veronica cried. Layla saw what she was talking about; the reason Layla had wandered over. There was a dead, half-disected Tunneler on the table by the doctor. She walked over just as Dr. Borous finished an incision.

"It's a tunneler; I found them at the Divide," Layla answered the scribe. "The place was crawling with them, and they'll spread to the Mojave before too long. I asked Dr. Borous to look into them for me."

"Are you sure you don't want me to train them to be your UNHOLY ARMY OF THE NIGHT?" Borous cried, making Layla shake her head.

"No thank you, just kill them."

The doctor mumbled about her not being any fun and went back to lasering open the dead creature's skin. "Progress is slow, but I'm pretty sure I'll have developed an effective way to destroy them soon enough."

"Very good," Layla said. "Carry on."

There were a few other things she'd check on later, but for now, the courier moved on to Dr. Zero's station. He was bustling around a table stacked with charts and report folders and binders. He didn't seem to notice Layla was standing there, so she coughed loudly.

Zero made a startled squawk and turned her way.

"Oh, hello," he said awkwardly; Layla noticed him looking around her to her friends. "Did you need something?"

"I was hoping you had some information for us," she answered. She frowned as Zero merely stared at her, not speaking.

"...About the securitrons and their programing?" Layla continued.

"Oh!" Zero cried, "Oooooh, that. Oh." He sounded embarrassed on the last 'oh.' "There's a problem; a big one."

"That's a big surprise," Layla heard Raul mutter, but she ignored him and waited for Zero to continue.

"I went over notes I had here... but the most useful information I have is that the securitrons' paint rusts after three years..."

"That's... that's all you found out?" Layla said, shocked. The doctor had an entire building at Big Mountain dedicated to reverse-engineering the machines specifically.

"Well, it's pretty significant," Zero said defensively. "I mean, what kind of hack was House to not even get the paint right? But uh, no. That's not all I found out. The thing is, the rest of my notes aren't here. They're in the de-construction plant."

"Oh," Layla answered. "That's okay, we can go get them. Meanwhile, can you look into what someone would have to do to activate the army? How he would broadcast the signal and where he'd do it from, that kind of thing."

"Umm, sure… yes. Yeah, I can do that," Zero said, "No problem."

"Good," Layla said, "We'll head off to the de-construction plant." She turned to her friends. "Right?"

They all looked thrilled.

***.*.***

"...And you can almost see the place the Ghost People's suits came from," Layla said, gesturing to a collapsed building on a path that intersected their own. The courier had been pointing out areas of interest as they walked; as it turned out, most of the areas in Big Mountain were of interest. Veronica looked out across the expanse of the hollowed-out mountain. There was so much potential, and it seemed like most of it was for destruction.

That was one good thing, she supposed, about the craziness of this place; it was helping her cope with the information that had been dumped on her. The only good thing was finding out Christine was alive. She didn't even know how to deal with Layla keeping this a secret from her. She wanted to be mad, but Christine had made Layla promise, and that wasn't something the courier would agree to idly.

Even so, Veronica dearly wished Layla had told her about Christine. And that Father Elijah had been the one to split them up. She grimaced at the swell of rage and betrayal that came with the thought. She'd trusted him; he'd all but raised her. How could he do that to her?

Layla was pointing out another building in the distance, something about a garbage incinerator. She mentioned the space-suited skeletons that usually wandered around the area, and the scribe suddenly remembered what the girl had been talking about earlier.

"Wait..." Veronica spoke up, and Layla turned her way. "Ghost People, those were the things at the Sierra Madre?" she asked. The courier nodded. "They were made here?"

"No... well, sort of," Layla answered. "They were made at the Sierra Madre, but all the components came from here; the hazmat suits that rust close so you can't take them off and the Cloud that turned the people wearing the suits into... whatever a Ghost Person is."

"They wanted it to happen?" Raul asked, sounding incredulous.

"Yeah," Layla nodded. "The guy who had the Sierra Madre built made a deal with the Think Tank. They furnished all the tech, and gave him a discount, then they used the place as a big guinea pig for experiments... none of them good."

"I have to say, boss," Raul started, "these doctors are... what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Assholes," Boone grumbled.

"Dangerous assholes," Veronica added.

Layla nodded, "I know... That's why Dr. Mobius put them in the tanks... He lobotimized them. It erased their knowledge of their pasts and the world around them. That way they would only do their experiments here."

"But they managed to hurt plenty of people, even from here," Veronica pointed out. "Christine and you, for instance."

"True," Layla admitted, "But they're under control now."

"How can you be so sure?" Veronica asked.

"Because they work for me," she answered simply. Veronica caught the somewhat confused look Raul made at that. The ghoul looked her way, and she shrugged.

"What happens when you're not around?" Raul asked.

"Funny you should mention that..." Layla said, using that falsely casual voice she tended to use when she had something awkward to say. "I had... have an opportunity to keep an eye on this place for a very long time."

"How's that?" Raul asked. "Thinking about getting yourself ghoulified?"

"No... Doctor Usinagi all but told me I don't have the ghoul factor; she was pretty sure it would have kicked in after that little debacle at Vault 34."

Veronica felt like the other girl had kicked her in the gut; the scribe had nearly gotten Layla killed looking for that stupid energy weapon the vault had housed. She hadn't thought about that in a while.

"Anyway, Auto-Doc apparently has an implant that causes constant cell regeneration... You live forever."

Everyone stopped walking. Layla noticed she wasn't being followed and turned back.

"Did you use it?" Veronica asked.

"Nah... I don't think I want to live forever." She looked at Boone. "Do you want to live forever?"

"No," the man answered automatically.

"Yeah, see? I don't really want to either." She closed an eye as she looked at Raul.

"You know, I didn't think about it before... but it might do something about your ghoulification," she said. Raul laughed at that.

"No thanks, boss. Sounds like it'd be real great if it worked, but I'm sure it's not meant for that, and I don't really want to be the Think Tank's new lab rat."

The courier nodded, looking unsurprised. "Anyway, when I get old and stuff, I'll probably get someone else to do it..."

"What was that?" Boone said, grabbing his rifle off his back as he turned. Veronica looked as well, and saw there was a group of nightstalkers that had snuck up behind them. The sniper was already lining up a shot.

"Wait!" Layla cried. "Don't shoot!"

Boone lowered his rifle and gave the girl a questioning look.

"Trust me," she said as she started walking toward the creatures.

"What is she doing?" Veronica cried. Boone shrugged. As the courier got closer to the pack, Boone raised his rifle again. He didn't fire, but was clearly ready to.

Layla was close to the animals now. She moved slow and deliberately. The nightstalkers had stopped and now just stared at her. Once she got within reach, she stopped and let out a long whistle and reached a hand out. Veronica noticed Boone tensing out of the corner of her eye.

The largest of the creatures moved toward Layla. It's forked tongue shot out, licking the courier's hand.

Layla giggled, and the big nightstalker let out a weird yapping noise. It walked closer and let Layla pet it. Then the rest of the group moved over and started rubbing against the girl's legs.

Veronica stared numbly as Layla started rubbing down the animals that circled her. They made weird hissing-rattling-purring noises as she did.

"YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS THING!" Dr. Klein's voice rang from one of the nearby speakers mounted to a post, scaring the hell out of Veronica. "IT MAKES YOU SOUND LIKE SOME KIND OF SKY GOD."

He said nothing more, and Veronica looked back down to see Raul looking her way.

"I'm not sure I want to stay here much longer," the ghoul said. "It's making me crazy."

Veronica let out a laugh just as Layla started rubbing the belly of one of the nightstalkers.

***.*.***

"Okay... this place is creepy," Veronica whispered as they crept into the de-construction plant.

"Try going in here alone," Layla responded. She noticed Boone step closer to her and smiled. It would have been much less stressful the first time if she'd been surrounded by friends. Back to the matter at hand, she looked around the seemingly empty building.

"We have to be careful," the courier whispered to the others. "The securitrons here are berserk; they'll shoot on sight if they catch us."

"It'll be good practice for when we get back to the Mojave," Raul whispered back. "What's our plan?"

"Um.. go in and get the files?" Layla shrugged. "Since when did I make plans?"

"All you do is make plans," Veronica grumbled. "Are all the rooms this big?" she asked, looking around the loading dock.

"No, everywhere else is a tight squeeze," the courier responded. "I've been through here before and cleaned out a lot of the crazy robots, but there's probably a bunch more."

"Maybe we all shouldn't be hanging around..." Raul suggested, "unless we want to get squeezed into a robot shooting gallery."

"He's right," Boone said, then looked at the ghoul. "You and Veronica watch the entrance. We'll go get the files," he said, looking to Layla.

She nodded, "Good idea." Veronica and Raul both turned around and walked back the way they came. As Layla turned back, she spotted a securitron rolling their way.

"There's one!" she hissed. Boone spun, hands already on his rifle. Before the robot could aim at them, the sniper had already fired.

The first shot hit its monitor, cracking it apart. Layla watched, somewhat amazed as it kept coming for them. Boone had to shoot another three times before he brought the machine down.

She crept over to it, curious. Leaning over to examine it, she saw that all four shots had hit. House really must have built them strong to withstand all that. It suddenly occurred to her she'd never really seen a securitron in battle, except for the time Victor had helped her with a pack of Powder Gangers on the way to Primm.

Getting Zero's notes was starting to sound like an even better plan than she'd realized. Straightening, she saw Boone giving the robot a weird look.

"Wha?" she asked, looking back down at it.

"Its face was screwed up," he answered.

"Yeah, I guess when Zero worked on them, he ended up messing up their programming pretty bad. He really is the one we want to deal with for this." She noticed he was still frowning at the dead robot. "What is it?" The sniper seemed to come to his senses, then gave his head a shake.

"Nothing. Had a dream like that." He looked up at their surrounding area. "We'd better hurry."

Layla nodded, and they started for the office area. It didn't take long to find what they were after; holotapes and some written notes. The courier quickly stuffed them into her bag and they hurried back to the entrance. She was getting nervous at the lack of any further response from the machines. When she'd last been here she'd destroyed quite a few, but not nearly all of them.

They made their way to the main loading room, where they'd entered the building. As soon as they stepped in, Layla saw three securitrons waiting for them. Boone started firing rapidly. Two of the robots were hit, but they seemed unaffected. One was squawking horribly. The loud, high-pitched noise hurt her ears. She drew her pistol and aimed for that one.

Their shots were hitting, but none of the robots seemed to notice. In fact, they were still standing where they'd been when Layla and Boone had entered the room. Suddenly, one of the machines started making a bee-line for them. Boone aimed for it and fired. The shot pinged off its metal plating, and it kept coming.

"Back up," Boone said urgently. Layla felt herself getting nervous from his tone; he never sounded that worried. She backpedaled as quickly as she could, then cried out as she felt something grab her arm.

Turning, she saw that another securitron had snuck up on them. Its monitor was cracked, but Layla could still make out its distorted face.

"BUUUUUAHHHHH -skrt- IntruuuuuUUUUUUDD," came from its speakers. It didn't point its at her, but the grip on her arm tightened. The other robots had finally started to return fire, but their aim was off, and bullets struck the wall and ceiling.

Layla tried to pry her arm out of the pincers, but they only got tighter. She was starting to lose feeling in her hand.

"Boone!" she cried, starting to panic. The sniper was at her side the next instant, swinging his machete into the robot's montior. The display gave out, but the hand on her arm still held her tightly.

She suddenly heard gunfire and a few loud clangs from the other side of the room. Looking in that direction, Layla saw Veronica and Raul coming their way. The securitrons were sprawled on the ground. Before she could say anything to them, the robot still holding her arm squeezed even harder. Her armor's plating was starting to bend in its grip, and she cried out as it dug into her skin.

Raul came up to her side. He looked at the pincer and quickly pulled his bag off his back and started digging through it.

"Hold on," Veronica said, pulling back her powerfist and punching the robot's shoulder joint. The arm came clean off and fell to the floor, Layla's arm still in its grip. Raul immediately grabbed the appendage and started working the plating off with a screwdriver. After a few more painful moments for the courier, the pressure suddenly, mercifully let up.

Layla sagged in relief as Raul pulled the pincers off her.

"How bad is it?" Veronica asked. Layla didn't want to pull off the armor on her arm, but she could already tell it wasn't good.

"It hurts. Let's just get the hell out of here and deal with it in the Sink."

***.*.***

"Well?" Layla sniffled. "How is it?"

"Well..." Auto-Doc started, "it's not as bad as having your brain surgically removed."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Can you fix it?"

Her arm was a mess; the armor was off now, revealing the nearly black bruises and torn skin where the armor plates ground into it.

"Sure can," Auto-Doc answered. "Hop in."

Layla walked into the booth, noting the concerned looks her friends were giving her as the door closed.

"I'm going to give you some Med-X." Auto-Doc said, "Otherwise it'll hurt quite a bit."

Layla was about to ask him not to, but the pain was starting to make her queasy. She nodded, then felt the booth's manipulation arms inject the chem. The pain lessened almost instantly, but it didn't go away.

"All right; stay still. Just a few moments and you'll be good as new."

"Okay," Layla said, hearing how watery her voice had become. The de-construction plant had scared her more than she'd realized. Her arm had nearly been squeezed off, and the robots were far harder to fight that she'd imagined. A cold pool of dread formed in her stomach when she thought of Vulpes in control of a sizable group of the machines.

There was a friendly sounding 'ding' from Auto-Doc.

"Finished already?" she asked. The installed personality chuckled.

"All done, unless you wanted me to do something else?"

"No no, that's all." She looked down at her arm. She didn't know why she bothered; she couldn't see anything in the booth. There was the option of having the inner lights lit, but Layla had requested they stay off while she was worked on. Seeing what was happening would probably make her panic.

"It will take some time to heal fully," Auto-Doc said as she exited the booth. "Try not to strain it."

"Okay, thank you," Layla said. Boone, Raul and Veronica were still waiting for her outside the booth.

"Better?" Veronica asked. The courier nodded as she looked down at her newly-bandaged arm. She gave a small grin.

"It's a small price to pay; Zero's notes are going to be very important."

"I hope so, boss," Raul spoke up. "We had to pump those things with a lot of bullets to take them down."

"Sir," Sink Intelligence called, "the doctors have sent a message. They're ready to meet with you."

"Great," Layla said. "Let's go."

***.*.***

"Dr. Mobius!" Layla cried as they entered the Think Tank's room. The girl sounded overjoyed as she approached one of the tanks. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I come here between my experiments to check up on the others! I worry that they'll miss me now that I'm not threatening to have them dismembered… further."

Raul stared at the new Think Tank doctor. This one was a mess; its tank was clouded, its casings were dirty and one of its eyes monitors was cracked and unlit.

The courier seemed very happy to see it, though. She walked with it to one of the other doctors, the one with the bluish-gray tank water. The one who sounded neurotic.

"Where you able to figure anything out?" Layla asked as she looked at the items scattered on the table. The pristine piles of folders and holotapes they'd dropped off were a mess now.

"I think so," Dr. Zero said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable, "Mobius and I pieced together a lot about their higher controls. To activate the army, a message would have to be sent to all of them simultaneously."

"It would have to be a large blast of energy!" Mobius added. "Something that would fry most sky turtles, given the chance."

Layla nodded like that was a perfectly normal thing to say and kept listening intently as Zero spoke again.

"The signal must have to come from a power plant, so we checked the satellite photos of the Mojave." He pointed an eye monitor at the map display next to the table. Layla looked over, where an area just east of Black Mountain was lit up.

"That is a power switching station. It's likely the signal would be activated there," Zero said.

"Yes, and it would cause havoc on the surrounding area's electronics," Mobius pointed out.

"The power went down a few days before you came back from California," Raul pointed out.

"And Colonel Hsu said there had been attacks in the area," Boone added.

"So, he's already done it," Layla said. Raul noticed the others stiffen at that. "What do we do now?" the courier asked.

"We've written an override for their programming," Zero said, and his eye monitors glanced at Mobius nervously.

"We just finished writing it!" Mobius said jovially, "It was a magnificent achievement, if I do say so myself. Oh, and with Dr. Zero's help too. In there, dear." He indicated a holotape sticking out of a machine.

"I'm not sure we'll be able to undo what Yes Man did…" the courier pointed out.

"Yes, but this isn't a normal command," said Mobius. "Essentially, it will fry out the robots' circuits in a blaze of glory!"

"Oh…" Layla said, looking at the tape. "So all we need to do is input the code, and it'll fry the securitron army?"

"Yes, they'll just be large pieces of RobCo trash then," Zero said smugly. "House was sloppy if it's this easy to override them."

"FINE, YES, VERY GOOD," the loud one, Dr. Klein, said. "ARE YOU LEAVING? AND TAKING ALL YOUR DISTRACTIONS WITH YOU?"

The courier frowned. "I guess we should head back..." Her hand went up to the bandage on her arm, and she didn't speak for a moment. "Were you able to look over the transporterponderthing?" she asked Klein.

"THE TRANSPORTALPONDER!" the tank said testily. "AND YES, IT WON'T SCATTER EVERYONE THIS TIME."

"BUT-" the doctor paused, possibly trying to sound dramatic, "THERE IS A CHANCE IT WILL SHORT OUT IF YOU TRY TO TRANSPORT MORE THAN ONE PERSON. I CAN'T BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR UNABLE TO USE THE TRANSPORTALPONDER AGAIN!"

Layla didn't look happy about that. Raul understood; despite the dangers outside of the Sink, Big Mountain was secure and removed from the Mojave. They'd be cut off from their safe haven.

Eventually, her frown cleared up and she nodded. "I guess we shouldn't wait. Thank you, doctors. I'll be back when I'm able."

"Good! I miss you and your brain's hijinks!" Mobius cried. "The doctors are boring," he said as he leaned in closer, but his voice was still loud enough for everyone to hear.

"YOU'RE LUCKY WE LET YOU IN HERE, YOU VILLANOUS HACK!" Klein bellowed.

***.*.***

Layla blinked the orange spots from her eyes as she felt her atoms regulate themselves. Once she could see properly again, let out a relieved sigh when she saw that that not only had her friends materialized with her, but they were at the Mojave Drive-In, just like they were supposed to be.

"Uh, Layla?" Raul spoke up, breaking her from her thoughts, "your tele-thing is on fire."

"Wha?" Layla looked down to see the machine was smoking. She dropped it, pulled one her extra shirts from her pack and slapped it against the teleporter. The flames were extinguished, but it was clear the thing wasn't going to work again.

"So much for going back to Big Moutain…" Veronica said.

"… I'll have to figure out how to contact the doctors… but for now, you're right." Layla bent over and gathered up the remains of the teleports and shoved them in her pack. "It doesn't matter; we have a way to stop Vulpes."


	15. If At First You Don't Succeed

"Well?!" Cass cried as she knocked the door open. Ranger Jackson shook his head, setting down the reports in his hands and looked up at the woman.

"Nothing, just like last time."

"Oh this is beyond horseshit!" the woman cried as she stormed into the Mojave Outpost's office building.

"I agree," the ranger said with a shrug, "but we can't do anything about it. Come on, have a drink with me."

The caravaneer grumbled but didn't resist as she stalked past the desk were Major Knight was giving her a dirty look. Let him glower all he fucking wanted. Cass was furious.

Her caravan had been trapped at the Mojave Outpost_ again_. With the Strip locked down, everyone was panicking. That meant she was stuck right back where she was a year ago.

Except she wasn't just rotting her brain away at the bar; Layla was running around the Mojave halfcocked, and an asshole Legionary who was supposed to be dead was gunning for her. And instead of helping, Cass was stuck here staring at Jackson and his idiot mustache.

The ranger sat down at his desk heavily. True to his word, he fished a bottle of whiskey out of his desk and tossed it to her. Cass caught it easily, unscrewed the cap and took a pull before slamming it on the desk.

"What are we going to do about it?" she demanded, ignoring the tired look Jackson was giving her.

"The same thing I told you last time: nothing. There's nothing we can do."

"Jackson, I don't even care about how much money I'm losing this time; Layla needs help. And I'm not going to sit around much longer."

The man's mouth set in a firm line, then softened. Cass nearly started yelling again, but stopped at the strange look he was giving her.

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"You have to stay here, even if the caravans could go through."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. Jackson was starting to look uncomfortable, something Cass wasn't used to seeing from the ranger.

"The only reason you aren't being officially detained is because I told them you were stuck here anyway."

"_What?!"_

"No one can get into the Strip, and no one has any clue what's going on in there. The only one who's got control of the robots is Layla, so she and all her associates are wanted for questioning."

"Layla didn't do this, she's trying to fix it, you pencil-pushing fuck! And if you don't let me out of here to help, there's a good chance that fucker Vulpes is going to pull off whatever fucking plan he had!"

Jackson's frown deepened. "Tell me everything you know."

"Are you going to let me go?" Cass shot back.

"No, and I can't promise I'll be able to help either."

"Then what fucking good are you?!" the woman cried," I'm not getting cooped up in here forever."

"There's nothing I can do about that for now. You're stuck here."

***.*.***

The El Dorado substation stood a couple hundred feet away. It was nearly dusk, and they planned to make their move soon.

Their 'move' was the problem, however. They still didn't know what to do next.

"…It's what sends the power from the dam everywhere else," Raul continued his explanation from behind her. "Without it, the dam's useless."

"So that means it'll be heavily guarded," Veronica grumbled. She'd been handling the sudden burst of revelations well, all things considered, but the scribe definitely seemed more irritated since returning from Big Mountain. Layla had considered trying to cheer her up, but she was pretty sure the other woman was still upset with her.

"Only eight or nine troopers are usually stationed there," Boone said, looking through the scope of his rifle. "It's a boring post; no one wants it."

"That was before Vulpes went rooting around," Layla pointed out, still watching the two troopers guarding the gate. "They're bound to have more people there now." Boone grunted at that.

The courier wished for the fiftieth time they had some kind of information on what the Legionary had done when he'd been there. If they'd known at the time, she would have asked Hsu… Of course if she'd known at the time, she would have strangled Vulpes to death at Nipton and to hell with the consequences.

Veronica groaned loudly, breaking up Layla's thoughts. "We'll we're going to have to think of something."

"Maybe we can just explain the situation and they'll let us in," Layla said, still behind her binoculars. She'd expected a response, so when none came, she looked up from the glasses. Boone, Raul and Veronica were all staring at her.

"What? I'm practically idolized by the NCR…" the courier said, sounding unsure.

"They probably think you're a terrorist now," Veronica said simply. The scribe's face fell when she saw the stricken look on Layla's face.

"There might be a warrant out for you…" Boone murmured, and Layla felt his hand on her back as he said it. "Can't risk it."

"But I know these people…"

"Might not," said Boone. "There's a lot more troopers in the area now. I barely know any of them."

"So what should we do?" Layla cried, ashamed at how her voice cracked. No no no, not now. She could do this; she'd make this right. She just needed to keep calm and think about this. Vulpes was not going to win on her watch. No no no, just stick to the plan.

Layla opened her mouth to go over what Doctor Mobius and Doctor Zero had told them to do. But as she did, nothing came out. The others gave her confused looks as she tried again.

"Oh _son of a bitch_," Layla cried once she realized the problem.

"What? What is it?!" Veronica asked, looking startled.

"I can't talk about the _god damned plan_," Layla growled as she covered her face with her hands in frustration.

"What are you talking about?" the scribe asked again. Layla answered by pointing at the scar on the back of her neck.

"Oh… oooooh." Veronica sighed heavily. "Well that's just great. And if- are you okay?"

Layla had hoped she wouldn't notice, but it was too late now as frustrated tears started streaming down her face. She'd been fine before; there had been a plan to follow. There still was, but the reality of having to keep out of the NCR's sight had finally hit her.

The thought of her own country thinking she was against it and all the fears and frustrations of the last few days - actually the last few weeks - seemed to crash down on her at the same time. She hadn't really allowed herself time to think about it before. There was always something else she could focus on.

But she must have let it go too long. Now she couldn't stop the sobs rippling out of her.

"We can try later, after we get you somewhere safe," Boone said, still at her side. "You can just lay low. I can go to Gorobets, we'll-"

"No," Layla grumbled, despite the tears still flowing down her face. "I'm just… I'll be fine in a minute. We need to keep as few people involved as possible. And I'm not just sitting around and letting everyone else clean up my mess." She took a shuddering breath, then released it.

"I'm okay, just… just bad timing. Hold on." She closed her eyes and chewed her tongue. She felt Boone's hand rubbing a slow circle on her back, which both hurt and helped her attempts to calm down at the same time. She blew out another breath and lifted her head.

"Okay, okay. I can do this." She focused on the building beyond them, then looked at her friends. "W-we need a distraction and someone to input the codes."

"You and Boone put the codes in," Veronica spoke up. "Boone's the sneakiest and you know the most about computers."

"You two will work the distraction?" Layla asked. Veronica looked over at Raul with a growing smile.

"I think we can come up with something."

"I don't like the way you're looking at me," the ghoul said suspiciously.

***.*.***

Private Verta wanted to go back inside; it was hot and miserable today. Verta had been told that it would start cooling off in the Mojave as Fall came, but fuck if he'd noticed any change.

He tried to focus on later tonight, when it would be cool. They were supposed to try playing caravan again too. The man wasn't sure why; none of them knew how to play, and even if they did, it sounded boring. They'd probably just give up and play poker again.

Fuck, this post was boring. Verta kicked a nearby rock and watched it clatter away. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and blew it out; no sense in complaining. It was bad for… well, it was probably bad for something. Focus on the good.

… There had to be good. It was hard to figure out what, however. Nothing happened here, no one passed by, the food sucked, he didn't even have anyone to stare at. The guys here were all grizzled as fuck and had the flattest asses Verta had ever seen. The best looking one here was Sargent Collins, and she was the most wrinkled woman in the Mojave. And that was a feat.

"Did you hear that?" Edin asked from Verta's side, crawling to his feet from where he'd been resting on the ground.

"Hear what?" Verta grumbled; Edin was always hearing something.

"It sounded like shouting," the other man answered, moving for the compound's gate. Verta followed, hoping that for once he'd actually noticed something real. Looking through the fence, he saw two people coming their way.

"You're a moron; I can't believe I agreed to this!" the woman shouted. Her ghoul companion didn't look happy either as they got closer.

"And you're the one who said to come this way. I was happy to stay where we were," the ghoul said. He had some kind of accent and a couple of mean looking pistols at his side. Verta put his hand on his sidearm, but the ghoul didn't make any move toward his.

"Look, there's someone," the woman said. "Let's ask them."

"We don't need to ask for directions," the ghoul grumbled. The woman turn on him, glowering dangerously.

"I'm not sleeping in the desert a wild animal again! Ask them!" she shrieked. The ghoul glared at her, but seemed to give in. His shoulders slumped and he turned to Verta and Edin.

"Which way to the Strip?" he asked. "We're… having some trouble."

"You need to get back on the road to the East," Edin said, pointing back toward the highway**.** "Keep following it north. It'll veer west a little, but it'll lead you right to Freeside's Gate. Then all you need to do is go through town, pass the credit check and you're in."

"The what?" the woman asked. "Credit check? What credit check?" She sounded like she was on the verge of screaming. Verta tried to subtly poke Edin, hoping he'd get the picture and not go into too much detail. Sometimes when people found out about the check, they got-

"You can't go in unless you've got 2,000 caps on hand," Edin said. Both the ghoul and the woman looked at him for a long moment, then at each other.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" the woman screamed. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Before the poor guy could respond, she threw herself at him, arms flailing.

"Fuck!" Edin cried. "We have to break them up!"

Verta looked back for the building's entrance and saw Jerald and Collins coming their way. With the backup coming, he nodded at Edin and moved toward the gate.

***.*.***

Boone boosted Layla up the rock face where the fence stopped. They'd lucked out; there was a bent section of metal the sniper had been fairly certain they could get over without getting hurt.

The courier had been confident too, until she tried to scrabble over the fence. She was currently gripping the one piece of rock jutting out from the wall while her other hand held onto the fence. Her feet were scuffing against the rock, unable to find purchase; she wouldn't be able to pull herself up like this.

"Hold on," Boone whispered from below. She heard him start climbing the fence and looked down, confused as to what he was doing. He wouldn't be able get over from where he was; there was barbed wire everywhere except the corner Layla was climbing. The sniper was just below her now.

"Step off my shoulder," he said, muffled by the bandana tied over his face. "Hurry."

Layla saw what he meant; he'd climbed up far enough so she'd be able to boost herself over using him as a stepladder. Wasting no further time, she moved her leg over and did as he suggested. She ended up having to put most of her weight on his shoulder and jump off.

Boone managed to hold on, but she heard him grunt. But the boost had done the trick; Layla was able to get over the fence and drop to the other side. Looking back, she saw the sniper easily climb up and over the fence like they'd originally planned.

Reaching out, Layla rubbed Boone's shoulder, which now had a boot print on it.

"We need to keep going," he said. Looking over to the front gate, she saw there was a group dealing with Veronica and Raul. Their yelling was holding the guards' attention, but it wouldn't last much longer. The courier tightened the wrap over her nose and mouth, then started for the building.

She'd been worried she'd have another outburst over the suggestion of disguising themselves. But now that they were doing it, it was reassuring to know no one could identify them with certainty. It also made her feel like an old west bandit.

They found a boarded-up door on the side of the substation. Boone worked his fingers between two of the planks and tried to yank them free, but they were securely fastened. The sniper nodded toward the front door and pulled Layla's stun gun from his holster. All they had taken with them was the coded holotape, Layla's stun gun and a knife each.

Skirting around to the main entrance, Layla was relieved to find no one waiting for them. She pulled the slatted door up, and Boone snuck under as soon as he could clear it. The courier yanked it up another foot before slipping through after him. She hadn't even let the door go before Boone started shooting.

Startled, Layla straightened up to find three NCR soldiers on the ground, twitching. Boone looked back to make sure she was following him and continued deeper into the building.

"Sorry," the courier whispered to the downed men as she quickly picked her way past them. The building was pretty simple; one hallway led to the main room. Dr. Mobius had carefully explained to her the panel she'd need to use to input the code. She made a mental note to-

Her mind froze as she turned the corner.

It was destroyed. It looked like the _whole damn room _had been destroyed. There had clearly been some repairs, but none of it seemed to have included any working terminals. Layla just stared at the smashed and scorched control panels. Two engineers and two soldiers gaped at her from among the wrecked room.

She felt a hand clamp on her arm, and Boone started dragging her back into the hall, before they could react. Snapping out of her shock, she focused on escaping. She and Boone ran for the main entrance.

***.*.***

"You're a good husband, Raul. You put up with a lot," Veronica laughed as she and the ghoul reached the old destroyed shack just north of the 188 trading post.

"You're not a very good wife," he responded, still clutching his sore jaw. "You could have pulled your punches, you know."

"I said I was sorry," the girl said, her grin fading to a somewhat awkward frown. "I have a hard time doing that."

"Uh huh," Raul mumbled. Boone, Layla and ED-E were already waiting for them. Veronica was about to call out to greet them, but got a look at their faces.

"What is it?" Raul asked, and Layla opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it.

"Did you get the codes in?" Veronica asked, and the courier's face twisted.

"No. The controls were all destroyed."

"What?" the scribe gasped.

"Vulpes must have thought we'd try this; we won't be able to upload the command without those consoles." Layla's voice started cracking. "What are we going to do?"

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed your summer (unless you live in the lower hemisphere; then I hope you enjoyed your winter). But now fall (spring) is upon us, time for apples and frantically planning your Halloween costume!

Thanks for reading :)


	16. Just Keeps Getting Better

General Moore smiled at the message that had just been delivered. It was an ugly smile, one that put Lt. Colonel Martha Gregory on edge. She'd hoped for an explanation, and when it didn't come, she sighed.

"What's going on, General?"

"New orders: we need to take Layla Granville in," the other woman said, unable to hide her glee.

Martha wasn't as happy. In fact, she was very disturbed by this turn of events. Everyone in command had seen this move coming, but she thought it was foolish nonetheless.

Layla Granville had never given the NCR any real reason to distrust her. Command might not have been happy with everything she'd done, but all her promises of aid had been genuine. They would never have held onto Hoover Dam without the support she, her allies and her friends had brought to the battle.

General Moore grabbed a notepad and started furiously scribbling notes. Probably coming up with a plan for her orders. Judging by how fast she was writing, she'd been thinking on the idea for a while.

Martha supposed it was possible Granville had changed; it wouldn't be the first time an ally turned on them. But she knew the woman. Layla just didn't seem capable of turning on her country for personal gain. It didn't make any sense either; she'd had the Strip and all its assets uncontested just months before. And with the NCR's weakened position immediately after the battle, they wouldn't have been able to fight back if she'd decided to kick them out completely. No, giving up the Strip only to take it back with force didn't make any sense.

"There," Moore said, looking up from her notes. "We have a lot to do, so see to these orders." She handed Martha the page she'd been writing on. Martha scanned it over, feeling a frown slide over her face.

"Are… you certain about this, ma'am? I don't see how-"

"Don't play coy, Martha, both of us know damn well why that needs to happen. Now get busy."

"Yes ma'am," the lt. colonel replied, unable to hide the apprehension in her voice.

***.*.***

Layla hesitated at the bedroom door. After a few moments, she turned the knob and walked in the room.

"Well, you look weird," Layla said once she got a good look at Boone. The reinforced leather armor he'd changed into was incredibly different than anything he usually wore. Which was the point. They were pretty confident that they hadn't been identified at the switching station, but they'd also agreed that traveling incognito was for the best.

"So do you," Boone said as he finished strapping on his armor. He turned to face her fully, and Layla detected a miniscule frown on his face.

The Courier had found an old, frumpy dress, the kind of thing a caravaneer would wear. She thought she looked remarkably bland in it, which again, was the point. Her shape wasn't aided by the fact that she wore her assassin armor under it. As much as she hated to admit it, the disguise was effective; she didn't look like herself at all.

Shaking the thought away, she turned back to Boone, taking in the sniper again. She frowned as she looked at his head, specifically the beret on top of it. He knew he couldn't go running around in the most recognizable piece of clothing either of them wore. He frowned back at her.

"Your Pip-Boy is pretty recognizable," he grumbled, already guessing the problem.

"It would be if it wasn't hidden under my clothes. Come on, off with it."

He reluctantly took his beret off and stuffed it into his pack. When he turned back, Layla saw the question in his look as she fought to keep a laugh from bubbling up on her.

"What?" he asked.

"The top of your head is going to burn something fierce," she said with giggle. "Maybe you should wear a hat."

"No," was the man's response. A sour look had come over his face. Layla gave him a sympathetic look as she moved closer.

"Don't complain; at least you get to be the scary, sexy merc. I look like mud congealed into the shape of a person with ill-fitting clothing."

"It's got some good points," he said, looking at the faded garment and the depressed gray sweater she wore on top of it.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Layla said incredulously, then started as he backed her against the wall and leaned close.

"I really want to get you out of it," he murmured into her ear.

Her giggles were silenced as he kissed her, wrapping his other arm around her waist.

"Are you two done yet?" Raul's voice filtered through the door. "Probably should get moving, boss."

Layla sighed loudly as Boone let her go. She opened the door to find the ghoul wearing Miguel's old Petro-Chico jumpsuit again. Veronica stood nearby in her scribe robes.

"Why don't they have to wear disguises?" Boone grumbled as he walked out of the bedroom.

"It's just one of the many benefits to being a lowly ghoul. Scaring children comes in handy too."

"And no one's ever noticed me in these robes," Veronica pointed out. "Ever."

"I noticed you," Layla said, and the scribe shrugged.

"Yeah, but you butt into everyone's business anyway."

"That's true," Layla said with a shrug. "Let's head out then."

***.*.***

It wouldn't do to lose his temper right now. Jack knew that. They were at a very touchy and crucial part of their hunt for the courier. The boring, fact-finding part.

River Jack loved a good hunt; since starting their organized mercenary activities, the jobs had been pretty bland. He hadn't had a wily target in some time. The real fun was in the chase. Before he could get to that, there was the tedious process of checking with contacts and gathering information.

Oddly enough, information gathering proved more difficult than Jack had anticipated. His usual, reliable sources of info had provided most of the intel on the girl. The common people of the Mojave didn't seem to have much to say about Granville, however

It took far more time than he'd liked, but the Vipers eventually found the cause: the NCR had put an official warrant out for the girl. No one close to her was willing to talk about her or where she might be. And the girl had a lot of friends.

They'd find her trail sooner or later. Just because she had a lot of friends didn't mean the whole world was in love with her. With the NCR after her, Jack would be able to jump on their trail and follow them to her, even if he had to pry her from the army's hands.

What really worried Jack was the disappearing act Granville and her three friends pulled at Nipton. The Viper didn't know a whole lot about higher tech, and asking around had stumped the few scientist contacts he did have.

He had a few ideas to keep it from happening again. They did come out of pre-war science fiction novels, but as far as he could tell, the tech Granville was using _also_ came out of science fiction. He wouldn't let his fellow Vipers know about the origin of his plans, regardless.

For now, there was information to sort through, and he couldn't just putter around his room all day. The others needed to see he was confident in their hunt. And he was; it was all just a matter of time.

***.*.***

"I'm sure everyone here already knows what you were called for," General Moore said as she entered the meeting room. She had too many things to do to dick around with formality. Setting her notes on the meeting table, she looked up to make sure everyone was in attendance.

"Word tends to fly around," she said, sending an irritated look Martha's way. She'd always been a capable secretary, but she'd always been a blabbermouth too. The Lt. Colonel didn't look happy, but said nothing.

Martha, unfortunately, had been taken in by Layla Granville's charm. The courier hadn't been able to do the same with Moore. The general had always suspected a situation like this would happen. Now that it was here, she was pleased she'd taken the time to prepare for it.

"But in case someone hadn't been informed," she continued addressing the gathered group, "You're getting a new assignment."

"Yeah, we're going after that Granville kid," Ranger Milo said, sounding bored. "Alive or dead?"

"Alive," Moore said. "We need to find out exactly what she did to the robots on the Strip."

The man nodded at that, as did the others around the table. Moore had hand-selected the rangers before her. They were either men she trusted or ones she knew didn't like Granville. As the command structure went, rangers didn't have to take her orders. And because the courier had made friends with half the Mojave, Moore wasn't trusting anyone she didn't know with this assignment.

Getting back on topic, she looked down on the intel she'd been going over since the morning. "Layla Granville was last spotted at Novac. It's likely she'll end up there again at some point. She's spent a lot of time there over the last year."

"Because Craig Boone lived there," Ranger Barthy said. "He doesn't live there anymore."

"While we're on the subject," Milo spoke up, "what do we do with him?"

"That's been taken care of," General Moore said, barely able to contain her smile.

***.*.***

"Soooo… do we have a plan?" Veronica asked as they passed by Ivanpah Dry Lake on the way to Primm.

"Um… I'm working on it," Layla answered, tugging on the collar of her sweater.

"Have I mentioned you look like a middle-aged spinster with a fat ass in that?" the scribe said cheerily. That made Layla spin in her direction, horror painted on her face.

"Really?!" She twisted around, trying to look at her own backside. She looked at Boone, but turned to Raul before she spoke. "Does this make my ass look fat?"

"Sure boss, but I always liked a lady with a little padding in the backside."

"That explains Cass," Veronica said. Raul nodded with a grin.

"Cass doesn't have a fat ass," Layla said thoughtfully. "Speaking of her, I wonder where her fat ass is. I hope Mr. Nash has some updates for us."

"This is a good start and all," Veronica said, "but seriously; what's the plan?"

"All I have right now is 'Find Vulpes, stop Vulpes.' If we know where his base is, I'm sure we can work something out. So I figure we talk to the couriers and see what they know. Vulpes couldn't have done all those assassinations on his own, and it was Powder Gangers who attacked me on the way to California. He's obviously been hiring people."

"And we might be able to trace it back…" Raul said, then shrugged. "I guess that's better than nothing."

"No much better," Veronica muttered. She noticed Boone had turned back south, hands going for his rifle immediately.

"What? What is it?!" Layla cried as the sniper looked through his scope. There was a group coming their way down the road from the Mojave Outpost. Just as Veronica spotted them, Boone lowered his rifle. Veronica was about to ask what was going on, but then she noticed they were in NCR uniforms and wearing red berets.

Veronica couldn't help but grin. 1st Recon showing up was one of the best things that could happen to them. They could scour for information on Vulpes' whereabouts, maybe even go to the rangers… Her smile faded as she got a good look at Lieutenant Gorobets' grim face.

"Sir," Boone saluted his commanding officer, but Veronica could already see the tension in his movements. The dour look on all of 1st Recon weren't helping either.

"We didn't expect to see you guys," Layla said into the growing awkward silence. "What's wrong?"

"We got our new orders," the lieutenant started, glancing briefly at Layla before he continued. "You're off your administrative leave as of 0600 tomorrow."

Layla's face paled. "What are they?" she asked, sounding afraid of the answer.

Gorobets' calm face cracked as he sighed. "California."

"W-what?" Layla gasped. "Why would they take you off the front?" Veronica didn't understand it either; she'd figured they'd get stuck at Hoover Dam, under Moore's thumb.

The 1st Recon CO didn't answered right away. Corporal Betsy eventually spoke up, a touch of anger in her voice.

"They're sending us away from you," she growled, glancing between Boone and Layla. "Moore is pissed, so she's separating you two."

The courier looked shocked and horrified. Gorobets' face took on a mournful look as he spoke to Boone.

"Either you can come with us now, or you can report at 0600. If you're late, we're leaving without you."

Boone's expression was hard, then a vulnerable look flashed over his face for just a moment before he spoke.

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't think I'll make it."

"W-wait," Layla managed to croak, turning Boone's way. "If you don't go with them, you'll-"

"I know," Boone said. The girl looked pleadingly back at the rest of 1st Recon.

Gorobets' face was hard-to-read, and for a moment Veronica thought he was going to order Boone to go with him. Then he cracked a faint grin.

"We figured as much," he said, then his face turned serious as he looked back at Layla. "We know whatever's happening is big. I'll stay if you need me to." He looked at the rest of his unit. "I won't order any of you, but-"

"Wait wait wait!" Layla cried. "This is getting out of hand. Go to California, all of you." She looked like she planned to say something to Boone, but didn't.

"Layla," Gorobets spoke up again, "we're not going to leave you if you need us."

"Go," she said firmly. "If things get really bad here, I couldn't ask for a better backup plan than 1st Recon."

Judging by his conflicted expression, he clearly didn't like the sound of that, but he let out a sigh and nodded. This wasn't good; 1st Recon were just about the only people in the NCR they could trust for certain right now. Their getting sent so far away was going to truly hurt their ability to get information in the Mojave.

Layla hadn't spoken in a few minutes, and Veronica looked over to see her biting her lip and making that weird strained face she made when she tried to hold back tears. It must not have been convincing to anyone, because Gorobets moved up to her, pulling her into a hug. That didn't seem to help the girl's stoicism; she burst out crying.

"You know we'll stay; you just have to ask," Gorobets said softly. Layla managed to get a hold of herself, shaking her head.

"No. Extra fugitives are just going to make it harder to move around."

"We can help you."

"No, thank you. I wish you could stay, but it won't work." She looked up at him, finally able to give him a steady look. "We'll figure it out. Go be my backup in case Vulpes manages to pull off more than I expected."

Gorobets nodded, still not looking happy. He gave her another squeeze, then let go. Looking to Boone, there again was something hard to read on his face.

"0600. If you're not there, we're leaving without you." He moved closer to the other man, speaking in a low voice. "We've got a week to get to California. We can probably give you another week before anyone notices you're missing."

"No," Boone's voice was firm. "You tell them I didn't show up. I'm not bringing you all down with me."

"We all go together," Bitter-Root said stiffly, and Jack of Spades and Sterling nodded in agreement.

"The NCR is going to need you," Boone said, still sounding neural. "I'm needed here."

Gorobets nodded, then clapped him on the shoulder. "Keep her safe. As soon as we can convince command that our orders are a mistake, we'll be back."

Boone nodded back, then turned to the rest of his unit, looking them over. Veronica felt her heart ache watching the man's face harden as he turned away from his family.

"Uh," Mitch started, "Lieutenant, aren't we violating our orders?" The courier frowned, and raised an eyebrow at Gorobets. The man also looked confused as he turned Mitch's way.

"What are you on about?" he asked.

"General Moore said…" He noticed all eyes were on him. "You know… about Layla?"

"What about her?" Gorobets' voice had turned hard, harder than Veronica thought the man was capable of. Mitch looked like he was going to falter, but he completed his thought.

"Moore said she knew we'd find Boone and Layla together, and we're supposed to take her in…"

The scribe hadn't known that all of 1st Recon could glare at the same level of intensity as Boone's worst, but there it was, and they were all pointed at Mitch. The man almost looked like he was going to run for it.

"Wait, Moore wanted to see me? For questioning?" Layla asked. Gorobets turned back her way. His face fell as he looked at her.

"We were going to tell you before we left…" he started, then pointed another glare at Mitch.

"Tell me what?"

"You're wanted for treason."

* * *

I hope all you folks in school are starting the year off right!

Thanks for reading :D

**Update: 9/15/12 - Hey, I'm sorry guys but I'm going to have to postpone today's update. I don't want to rush the chapter and it just needs more time. I'm going to post it on Wednesday, and we'll continue as normal on Saturday. Thanks!**


	17. The Hunter

Raul was frowning when he walked into the Mojave Express with Layla. She'd been very quiet since they'd said goodbye to 1st Recon. The ghoul had been growing slowly more worried about her in the last few weeks; Layla's world seemed to be unraveling around her, and the strain was showing.

She'd told Raul once that when things got overwhelming, all she had to do was cry it out and she'd been good as new again. That had been enough before, but he'd caught her crying more in the last few weeks than he'd seen the rest of the time he'd known her.

Everyone had a breaking point; a concept Raul was all too familiar with. Layla hadn't found hers yet, but he worried it would happen soon. It seemed like every step they took brought them closer to her edge. Every friendship she'd made and every door she'd opened in the Mojave seemed to be closing. 1st Recon getting sent away was a hard blow; since Boone had reenlisted, the unit might as well be Layla's in-laws.

At least since they'd reached Primm, Layla had started looking optimistic again. Raul wasn't so sure the couriers would have all the information they needed, and the almost desperately hopeful look in the girl's eyes made his old heart ache.

"Mr. Nash," Layla said as the man came in from the back room. The office manager's face turned grim when he saw them; Raul had been to the Mojave Express a few times with Layla, and Nash had always been pleasant to him and kind to the courier. Now he looked hesitant as he stood before them. He shook his head and spoke.

"Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be here? You do know about the warrant, right?"

"I know, but…" she trailed off. Raul winced at the heartbreak in her voice. Nash spoke again, though the cautious look was gone, replaced with concern.

"Now don't get all mopey; I just don't want you getting caught up in some fool NCR trap," Nash said. "Mrs. Nash and I don't believe the papers anyway."

Raul watched as relief spread over the girl's face. "I appreciate that, Mr. Nash," she said.

"Hell'd have to freeze over before you turned rotten," Nash laughed. "Now what on earth possessed you to come to one of your regular haunts with half the Mojave trying to track you down?"

"We need to find the people who took over the Strip."

"Ah," Nash nodded, "Sending the nosey army out?" He nodded. "I'll get the couriers on it; they hear all kinds of idle talk. Oh," he reached under the table and pulled out a letter. "Got some mail for you."

***.*.***

Nash hadn't had much information for them, but on Layla's request, he'd start putting out feelers for leads on Vulpes. It was a long shot, but Raul noticed the change in Layla's mood. Knowing that the couriers were still available to her had been enough to give her some hope again. She'd definitely needed the morale boost.

Boone and Veronica were still waiting on the corner of the road, looking nonchalant. Both were doing a pretty good job; if Raul hadn't been looking for them, he'd have thought they were just some nondescript travelers.

"What did he say?" Veronica asked as they approached.

"He didn't have much for us right now, but I did get a message from Judah Kreger," Layla reported.

"Who?" Veronica asked.

"He's a friend in Westside. A very old friend of Arcade's that we can trust. I'm thinking we should head that way next. I don't go to Westside very often, so people probably won't expect us there."

"If we're going, we'd better hurry," Raul said, "We've been visible too long."

***.*.***

Westside's gates were a welcome sight; they had all but run for the town once they were out of Primm. To Layla, every moment in the open felt like they were trying their luck. Once they found somewhere safe to hide while she figured things out, she'd feel a lot better.

Judah Kreger's letter had only told her to meet with him. Layla had to assume the old man knew what was going on; he and the other Enclave Remnants had tapped into the NCR's communications long ago.

If it had been just her, Layla might have asked to hide in the bunker where the Remnants stored their gear. But the others with her would probably keep Judah from wanting to reveal their hiding place. Especially to Boone.

Speaking of the sniper, she glanced at him again and felt the same surge of guilt she'd been harboring since they'd met up with 1st Recon. She didn't know what would happen now that he'd disobeyed orders to stay in the Mojave, but she doubted it would be anything good. Especially now that she was a wanted fugitive.

Layla had already started on a few different stories concerning her friends in case they were caught by the NCR. She'd gone through a few already, not liking any of them so far. She was fairly certain no one would believe that she'd kidnapped Boone and used him as a hostage to get Veronica and Raul to help her.

Eventually she decided to go with something more plausible: she'd tricked them. She hadn't told them what was happening. They didn't know she was on the run from the NCR. Layla was sure the others would deny that, but she could argue they still hadn't realized her treachery.

It probably wouldn't be enough; if they were caught, they'd all go down with her. The thought made her chest compress, and she found it harder to breath.

She tried to latch onto a good thought: Boone and Veronica and Raul were still here with her. Even if they were all going to be in trouble, they were together. Focusing on that made the rest of her mind untangle and the pain in her chest lessen. She felt better a few minutes later as they continued through Westside.

Judah Kreger was sitting on his usual chair near Miguel's Pawn Shop. Usually someone would be in the chair across, playing checkers with him, but he was alone today. He caught sight of them and stood.

"What on earth have you been doing?" Kreger said once they reached him. "Between rumors and the papers, it sounds like you're on a rampage."

"I'm not!" Layla squealed, unable to help herself. The tight feeling was back in her chest as she looked at Kreger's unbelieving face. "This isn't my fault!"

"Calm down!" the weathered old man said, holding up his hands. "It's okay, just calm down! You need to learn to keep a low profile if you're going to be on the run."

The courier felt her face fall. This whole situation was a nightmare that seemed to keep getting worse.

It was getting hard to breathe again. Calm down. She had to do like Kreger said and calm down. Vulpes was smart, and he may have isolated her from a lot of her allies. But there were people he hadn't gotten to. Like Marcus and the super mutants, and Tony back in Shady Sands. He'd...

She hadn't thought about her brother. She'd just stayed at his place before this happened; there was a good chance he'd be questioned, maybe even detained.

The breath she'd been holding came out as a wheeze, and her vision blurred.

"…of the way while they can figure out where the hideout is," someone said. Boone, no, Raul. It was Raul. Layla cracked open her eyes and found herself sitting in a chair inside Miguel's Pawn Shop.

"Hey, are you awake?" Veronica's voice said. Suddenly the scribe's face was visible. She looked worried.

"Yeah. I'm... What happened?"

"Panic attack," Judah said. "At least that's our guess. I think laying low is a very good idea for now." The old man said. "I've got a place you can stay."

Layla nodded, noting her friends' unhappy expressions. Her mouth was dry, and she just wanted to sleep, but they had to go somewhere safe first.

"When do we go?"

"You can head over once it gets dark, " Judah said. "I'm sending over some help as well."

"What do you mean?"

The old man gave her a hard-to-read grin. "You'll see."

***.*.***

"I don't like this idea," Layla grumbled.

"Me neither," Veronica agreed. Both women were standing just outside Westside's gates. Boone and Raul stopped and turned back once they'd noticed the girls weren't following them, both wearing similar displeased looks.

"Come on, boss, you have to hide," Raul said. He didn't quite sound annoyed, but he was teetering close to it. "Which means you have to go somewhere no one will expect you."

"But the Thorn?" Layla groaned. "It's disgusting."

"You've never been there," Boone pointed out, earning a mild glare from the courier.

"No, but I know what they do there," she said. "It's barbaric."

"We can't stand out here in the open all night arguing about this," Raul sighed. "Either we go to the Thorn or we find somewhere else, and soon."

"Fine," Layla groaned. "Let's get moving then."

Veronica shook her head, but followed Layla to the manhole that lead down to the arena. Layla truly didn't like this; from what she'd heard, they kept dangerous animals captive and made them fight each other and took bets on it. Revolting.

But despite her grousing, she had to admit it was a good place to hide. The owner, Red Lucy, had agreed to take them in. She might have been a little worried about the arraignment, but Westside was a surprisingly tight-knit community. And if Judah Kreger trusted her, it was good enough for Layla.

The Thorn's sign was well-made and eye-catching. Layla supposed she had to give them that. And standing under the sign was the contact Judah had said would be waiting.

"Orion?" Layla cried. She certainly hadn't expected him. But there he stood anyway; Enclave Remnant Orion Moreno, the man who didn't like Layla and hated the NCR.

"How's it feel to have the shoe on the other foot?" the old man laughed loudly. Layla felt a frown crowd her face. She noticed the others looking at her expectantly.

"This is Orion Moreno," she said, gesturing to him. "He's another one of Arcade's fri-"

"It doesn't matter who I am," Orion interrupted. "What matters is I'm here to keep you out of the NCR's hands. So let's get below ground before one of them stumbles over this place and we have to put them down."

Layla's grimaced, then glanced over to Boone. He was giving the older man a cool look, but didn't seem upset otherwise. She knew she could depend on the sniper to keep a level head, but she didn't like Orion bad-mouthing the NCR either.

Why had Judah sent Orion to help them? Anyone would have been better. She guessed the man's dislike of the NCR would be useful while trying to keep her away from them. but she didn't want people to die over it.

The old man wore light armor and had a caravan shotgun on his back. Layla supposed that if something did happen, no one would see him coming. He might be a weathered old man, but he was a mean old bastard and deadly to match.

"Are we going to stay out here all night? We can just as easily turn you in and save us all the time."

Now Veronica and Raul were giving the old man dirty looks. Layla sighed and headed for the manhole leading to the Thorn. Boone got there before her and pulled up the cover, then started down the ladder. "Clear," he called up a moment later, and Raul nodded for Layla to follow him down.

The rungs were hard to hold onto; they were cold and rusted and slightly damp. Layla dropped down the last few feet and looked around.

For what had been a sewer system, the place was very clean. It was gigantic too; there were hallways that stretched around a huge lower floor, presumably the arena. Several fires burned along the halls in trash cans, casting the cavernous room in an eerie light.

There probably wasn't a fight planned any time soon; only a few people were milling around. Layla would have liked to think there weren't a lot of people who'd come to these events, but she knew better. There were a lot of bloodthirsty assholes in the wastes. Half the Mojave was probably crammed into the arena when there was a fight.

"Have you been here before?" Layla asked Orion as he came down the ladder. The old man looked around, then turned his attention on the courier.

"No; this place is for idiots willing to throw away their money and idiots willing to throw away their lives."

Well, at least they agreed on something, Layla thought. Veronica caught her eye, then rolled hers. Layla held back a sigh; this was going to be a fun trip.

As she was musing, she saw a grim-faced man walking their way. She opened her mouth to speak, but Orion beat her to it.

"What do you want?"

The man, who was pretty short, even shorter than Layla, didn't look impressed with Orion's demand. He looked at the courier before speaking.

"Are you the appointment for Red Lucy?"

"Um, yes," Layla answered. "Well, she's expecting us anyway."

"This way." He turned and started walking down one of the halls.

Layla was about to ask their guide a question, but the man's scowl stopped her. They halted at a door slightly off from the main hall, and the man gave a hard knock on the metal.

***.*.***

"Miss Lucy, your appointment is here."

"Send them in," Red Lucy called, standing from her desk. Kreger, the old man in town, had asked her to hide some friends of his. The woman may have denied him under normal circumstances, but she'd heard just who she was to shelter.

The door opened and the group of five walked in. Lucy looked them all over carefully; the old man standing with them must be Kreger's contact. He gave the air of being disinterested, but his eyes saw everything. The ghoul's eyes were clouded with age, but staring at her intently as his hand hovered near the revolver on his hip. The taller of the two women was giving her a cool look, but there was tension in the hand covered by an impressive power glove. The man, Red Lucy had heard of. Caesar's killer. He looked coiled to strike as he stood by the final member; the courier.

She wasn't what Red Lucy had expected. Small in frame and nervous in demeanor. This was the creature who killed the Legion Legate?

The girl had apparently grown uncomfortable in the time it took Lucy to look them over; she spoke up, sounding hesitant.

"Judah Kreger sent us. He said…" she trailed off as Lucy held up a hand.

"I am aware of your plight, and I am prepared to harbor you here in the Thorn. There is a space below the pens that will house you. None will be made aware of your presence."

Layla Granville nodded, though she looked somewhat distressed.

"Does something trouble you?" Lucy asked, curious as to what was making the girl so unhappy.

"How many animals do you keep here, exactly?"

"Our facility can keep dozens of the Mojave's most dangerous creatures," Red Lucy answered, feeling a smile tug on her lips, "though not all of them are strictly animals. There is a group of Fiends awaiting their fate as well."

"Fiends? You're keeping _people_ in here?!" Layla cried. Red Lucy was unfazed at the other woman's outburst.

"Yes; they tried to attack the people of Westside. Instead of an immediate death, they have the chance to fight for their lives."

"And if they win, you'll let them go?" Layla said doubtfully.

"Of course not, the Thorn will be their death, but here they may die honorably."

The courier looked like she planned to argue further, but she suddenly looked to her side. The other woman was holding her elbow and shaking her head. Layla Granville appeared to put some effort into not speaking further.

"Nan will see you to your new quarters," Lucy said, amused with the girl's discomfort. "We are pleased to have you."

After a brief pause, in which she seemed to be struggling with her words, the courier spoke again.

"Thank you," she said, and they were shown the way out by Nan. Lucy stared at the door they'd all exited from, and let her mind wander.

It was not wise to insult one's host. Lucy supposed she could forgive the girl's transgressions; she was a child, unable to truly grasp the beauty of death. In that regard, she was hardly unique. The Mojave was choked with those would scrabble for shreds of life, instead of granting themselves a well-earned death.

Yes, the courier was to be pitied, not punished. At least not for now. And she had brought Red Lucy someone worth her attention...

Her thoughts were interrupted some time later as a knock came on the door.

"A courier has come," Nan called.

"They may enter," Lucy called back. She looked up at the door as a tall, fair-haired man entered. Clear grey eyes took a look around the room, then focused on Lucy.

"I have mail for Granville."

"Ah." She'd been told correspondence would be brought here for the girl. "You may deliver it to her. She rests below the animal pens," the woman said. "Nan can see you there."

Lucy could detect the discomfort in the man before her. He was displeased with being here in the Thorn. Perhaps it was a common temperament for a courier.

"There's something else," he said, and Lucy allowed herself a smile.

"Oh? Do you wish to test yourself in battle? There are many things the Thorn can reveal to a man about his worth. What is your name?"

"Wade," the man said. Lucy laughed at his disgusted tone.

"Well, Wade, what is it you need."

"I have a delivery for you," he said, then left a letter on the small table close to the couch. He left the room without another word.

Lucy laughed again as she reached for the letter.

* * *

I hope the wait was worth it! We should be back to the regular posting schedule on Saturday :D


	18. A Pit of Vipers

Layla grimaced as she heard the crowd roaring above her head. She normally didn't worry too much about the health and wellbeing of Fiends, but pitting them against nightstalkers for people's amusement was barbaric. She had to admit she was more upset about the nightstalkers than anything else.

"I didn't even know there were any Fiends left," she said out loud. Boone stirred next to her, and she reached over to gently rub his arm. They were both on one of the mattresses that had been shoved into the sub-basement that served as their safe house. The sniper had wolfed down his dinner and passed out; it was the first time he'd slept since leaving Big Mountain.

"Maybe they're all here," Veronica said with a glower at the ceiling. "We should release all the animals; let them see what it's like."

"That'd be a stupid move," Orion said from his chair against the wall. "Funny, but stupid."

"You'd better keep your bad opinions and your murderous intentions to yourself here," Raul said while finishing the last of his pre-war canned food. "That Red Lucy seems like she's got a screw loose."

"Oh, speaking of Red Lucy screwing," Veronica piped up. "I'd watch her around Boone; she was giving him the look."

"Wha?" Layla sat up. "What look?"

"You know; the look," the scribe said. "The kind that comes with mental undressing and unsubtle advances."

"I… She didn't really do that." The courier looked at Raul. "Did she?"

The ghoul nodded without hesitation. Layla's mouth fell open. No, no, they were just teasing her.

"Not funny," she said as she moved closer to Boone, barely aware that she'd done it. She didn't like the looks Raul and Veronica were giving her.

"You really can be dense sometimes," Veronica sighed. "She was trying to melt his shirt with her eyes."

"That's not… She was probably just mad at us for saying her animal murder circus was stupid."

"The only thing she was mad about was Boone showing up without body oil," said Raul, making Veronica laugh.

"Oh… oh that's great," Layla sighed. "Now I'm gonna have to beat up our host."

"That probably wouldn't go well; she looks like she could take you," the scribe said as she lay back on her mattress.

"She doesn't have her honor and her significant other's on the line," Layla pointed out.

"It doesn't matter who's fucking who," Orion spoke up, sounding like he was annoyed with the conversation. "You just keep away from Red Lucy. If you piss her off she'll probably feed you to her deathclaws."

***.*.***

They couldn't just sit around the Thorn waiting for news to reach them. They had to make a plan, figure out something to do. Or she was going to go mad. When Wade had shown up, Layla had hoped he'd brought some important news. Turns out he'd brought an envelope from Mr. Nash with her wanted poster. It was fairly accurate while still managing to be unflattering.

Layla sighed as she walked along the animal pens. She wasn't supposed to go above to the arena area; it was possible someone could recognize her, and then there'd be trouble. So instead she paced the walkway of the holding cells. She really wasn't supposed to be here either, but everyone else had gone looking around, and she was bored.

Being on this floor wasn't doing much for her mood, however; there were quite a few creatures in the pens. There weren't any Fiends, she noticed, which made her stomach churn. The nightstalkers must have won the earlier match.

Layla stopped in front of one of the nightstalker pens. There were five in the caged area from what she could see. It was dark in the corridor, but she could make out the creatures milling around.

Layla let out a low whistle, and the animals' heads perked up. This probably wasn't smart; these weren't Big Mountain nightstalkers. They weren't even regular wilds ones. They'd been raised in captivity to amuse a pack of bloodthirsty idiots. Whatever it was that made the Big Mountain nightstalkers tolerate her might not be present in these.

A nightstalker with a brown stripe down the front of his face approached the fence. Layla held her hand against the metal. The creature couldn't bite her if it wanted to, but it could still sniff her.

The animal seemed nervous about approaching her, but after a while, it padded over and licked her hand through the fence. Layla couldn't help but giggle, then reached her fingers past the bars and scratched the animal behind the ear. It let out that weird hissing purr as she did.

"There; you're just as sweet as the other guys," she murmured.

"You are no hunter," came a voice behind her. Layla looked up to see Red Lucy approaching her. The courier sighed and let go of the animal she'd been petting.

"I never said I was," she muttered as she stood.

"You disapprove of the Thorn," Red Lucy stated.

"I do," Layla admitted. "I think what you're doing here is barbaric and childish."

The other woman looked at her for a long moment, then spoke.

"I have heard many things about you."

"Let me guess; I'm shorter than you thought."

"Size is of little account to the nature of one's soul," Lucy said smoothly. "I had heard about a tenacity and fierceness that I am not seeing now."

Layla stiffened at that. "I'm not here to impress you."

"That's good, for you are not."

"Well it's mutual," the courier said, then grimaced as Orion's words echoed in her head.

"Look; I'm sorry if I'm coming off as ungrateful. I do appreciate your keeping us here."

"Despite your earlier assessment, I am not so childish to let our differences put you in jeopardy."

_Keep the hell away from my man,_ echoed in her head. She bit her lip against saying it, however. Boone was a grown man whom she trusted completely. The courier wasn't about to let the doubts and fears surrounding her cloud her judgment of the sniper's faithfulness. Besides, Lucy would probably see it as a challenge and make her fight to the death over him.

And as sorely tempting as it would be to do that, it was also all kinds of stupid.

"Granville," a voice rang through the corridor. Layla frowned as she looked up; it was Orion. He didn't look happy as he walked over.

"You shouldn't come up here; what if someone sees you?"

"No one comes down here but Thorn workers," she argued.

"Do you really want to take that chance?"

A sigh escaped her lips. "No."

"Well get back down then," the old man grumbled. Layla nodded and headed for the ladder to the lower level. This sucked.

***.*.***

Boone didn't know how to talk to women. He never had, not when he was a kid, not when he was a teenager, not when he'd been in the military, not when he was out of the military. Now he was back in the military, and he still didn't know how to talk to women.

His first and only girlfriend in California had walked up to him in town one day and told him they were going to get a Nuka-Cola at the general store together. He hadn't been one to argue.

Carla had offered to show him the Strip when he'd wandered away from Manny on leave. He wasn't in the habit of saying no to a beautiful woman.

Layla had been a slightly different story in that the courier had waited for him to make things official. That hadn't changed things; he'd spent days trying to figure out how to tell her once he was ready. He'd had a plan, then threw it out the window and just kissed her after the Hoover Dam battle.

But, despite how hard it was to get his jumbled thoughts in order, he wasn't blind. He'd known Layla had been interested in him long before he knew what to do about it.

He also knew what the heavy-lidded looks he'd been getting from Red Lucy meant. There was probably some smooth way to defuse the situation, but hell if he knew what it was. The current plan was to just ignore the woman until they left.

Boone hadn't liked this situation from the start, but they'd been getting desperate, and Layla seemed to trust Judah Kreger completely. The sniper had recognized the old man in Westside, he'd been the only member of the Enclave Remnants whose face was visible at the Dam. He was also fairly certain that Orion Moreno had been the one wielding the gatling laser.

He climbed down the ladder to the animal pens. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, so he'd gone up to take a look around. It was also important to make sure he knew were the exits were and how many people were usually here. He had a bad feeling and didn't want to be unprepared if something went wrong.

Eventually he realized he'd left Layla by herself in the sublevel of the arena. He didn't doubt the girl's ability to protect herself, but it was starting to feel like the whole world was after her. That, and she was probably bored or anxious; he might not be great at conversation, but for some reason the women he'd been with like having him around.

He lowered himself off the last rung and turned to find Red Lucy waiting for him.

"I had hoped I could talk to you," she practically purred, taking a step closer. "You interest me."

Okay. She wasn't going to be subtle. That put him in an awkward situation; they were under the woman's care and he probably shouldn't be too harsh when it came to telling her to back off.

He wasn't sure how she was interpreting his silence, but a smile was spreading over her face.

"You are a fine hunter; I have heard of your many victories in battle. Your tenacity is well known. We should become better acquainted." The hooded look was back. "Come with me to my chambers."

Boone kept his poker face in place, but he was not used to women being this forward. This wasn't catcalls from drunks on the Strip, and he was not sure of what to do. He quickly decided on the simplest answer.

"I'm heading down," he said, then turned without a word to retreat to Layla. He tried to ignore how dumb he'd sounded and did not look back to see the woman's reaction.

***.*.***

Raul shook his head at the sight before him; there was blood all over the arena, and it was coming from the giant radscorpion he'd bet on.

"Ha! Don't be surprised, zombie; you were the one fool enough to bet against a deathclaw," Orion Mereno said from his side.

"The safe bet isn't always the right one, old man," the ghoul said in response. The patrons of the Thorn were all gathered around watching the fight and cheering loudly.

Raul had hoped to sneak away long enough to bet on a few rounds; Layla and Veronica might be put off by this place, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it. He didn't plan to tell the girls, though.

On his way to the betting counter, he'd found Orion already in line. They'd glared at each other for a solid minute before Orion demanded he make his bets so they could find a place to watch.

Since then they'd been trading barbs as they watched the fights. Raul had just about lost all the money he'd planned to gamble; if this pack of scorpions didn't take out that deathclaw, he was done for the night.

"This is horseshit!" one of the spectators said next to them. "Come on! Last fight, and I'm gonna lose!"

"Last fight?" Raul spoke up. "The sign said three more."

"They've been cancelled," the angry fan said. "Something about a shipment coming in."

"Does that happen often?" Orion asked.

"No," one of the man's friends groused. "I've never heard of that happening before."

Orion and Raul looked at each other.

"I bet Red Lucy got that big-ass shipment of cazadores she'd been after," the fan said. "She'd been talking about it all week."

That could explain it, but Raul didn't like the sound of any of this. He caught Orion's eye. The other man shrugged.

"Let's see the rest of the fight, zombie. I've got money riding on this."

***.*.***

Boone stared at the wall of the sublevel. Only he and Raul were awake; the others were sprawled out on the three mattresses along the floor.

He'd found Layla sleeping when he'd come back down, so he left her alone. A pang of guilt had been brewing in his chest all evening. Raul had let him know about the conversation everyone had concerning Red Lucy while he'd slept. Layla had handled it fine, but she hadn't been happy about it either.

She didn't even know what had happened up by the animal pens earlier. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he'd decided not to tell Layla about it.

The sniper had decided to not keep things from Layla when they'd gotten together; he'd kept a lot of secrets from her when they first met. That wasn't something he regretted, but once they had all come out in the open, he didn't want to hold anything back again.

But this was different; Layla had been through a lot lately, and nothing she deserved. The last thing she needed was someone trying to steal him away. His girlfriend wasn't overly jealous, but it wasn't hard for her to pick up doubts about herself. He wanted her to be confident that he was here for her.

But maybe he should tell her anyway; he wasn't sure. He looked back to the sleeping girl again.

"She's probably going to find out anyway," Raul spoke up, apparently reading his thoughts. He'd told the ghoul about Red Lucy, hoping the older man would have some advice.

"And if she does and you didn't tell her, she's going to start thinking something's wrong," the mechanic continued. Boone rubbed his bare head in frustration; he'd felt naked for the last few days without his beret. Remembering his lack of headwear didn't improve his mood.

Looking up, he caught the look on Raul's face as he stared at the ladder leading up. He was antsy tonight; far more than Boone was used to seeing.

"What is it?" he asked; Raul looked back at him, frowning.

"The last block of fights for tonight were cancelled. The gamblers said it's never happened before."

"Why were they cancelled?" Boone asked, growing concerned.

"Not sure; someone thought it was a cazador shipment."

The sniper frowned deeply at that; this whole arrangement was really getting uncomfortable.

"I think we should leave," he said out loud.

"Too many problems with all this, I don't like it," Raul said in agreement. "Maybe we can head up to Jacobstown?"

Nodding, Boone leaned back in his chair; the super mutant town was something of a safe house to their group. Though he did worry about going so close to a ranger station. As he mused, something caught his attention about what Raul had said.

"You were watching the fights?"

The ghoul gave him a wry grin. "Just trying out the facilities."

"Don't let Layla know," the younger man said, shaking his head. "Did you win?"

"No… almost, but no."

"Definitely don't tell her then."

Raul laughed. Boone felt a grin nearly worm its way onto his face, but it faded and he looked back to Layla.

"Go on," Raul said, and Boone looked back as the other man nodded at Layla. Boone stood and walked over to the girl. Just as he started to lower himself down, the manhole to the floor above them moved.

Boone shot back up, hand going for the pistol on his hip. Raul had jumped to his feet as well. Red Lucy came climbing down the ladder. She stopped halfway down and looked down at them.

"Get everyone above; we need to hide you in the sewers."

Boone reached down to wake Layla. The girl blinked the sleep from her eyes as he gave her a gentle shake.

"Wah?"

"We have to go," Boone said, then moved over to give Veronica a shake as well. Soon they were climbing the ladder up to the animal pen.

"What's going on?" Layla asked as Red Lucy led them to the ladder up to the arena.

"We were informed there may be a group of rangers coming to check the facility," the other woman said. "I don't know how they were tipped off, but you need to hide for now."

"Can't you tell them they can't look? This isn't the NCR's territory," the courier pointed out.

"We try to keep an open dialog with the NCR; we get many customers from the military here. And it will look suspicious if we don't let them in," the redhead answered.

That seemed to be enough for Layla, but Boone wasn't so sure. It didn't matter for now, whether Red Lucy knew it or not, they were leaving for good. They continued up to the main floor, where Nan was waiting for them.

"Go with Nan, he will guide you to a safe place," Lucy said. "Once the rangers are satisfied that there is nothing hidden here, I will have him bring you back."

"Let's hurry, then," Orion spoke up. Boone noticed the sour expression on the man. He probably didn't like this either.

Nan led them through a twisted path, taking several turns as they traveled. Boone had been keeping track as they ran; they'd double-backed twice already. If he hadn't been wary of the situation, he may have rationalized it as trying to lose anyone who might pursue them. But now he was fairly certain their guide was trying to get them confused in the maze of the sewers.

He was about to call a stop their movement, but Nan had halted himself. They had just turned into one of the larger rooms that connected the sewer halls. The short man stood in the doorway, almost like he was-

Nan darted forward out of the room. Boone leapt after him, but he was too slow, and the smaller man shut the door behind him. The sniper all but slammed it as he heard it lock.

He turned back to find Raul already trying the barred door behind them. The ghoul looked back and shook his head. Moreno was attempting to pry a grating on the floor open, it didn't budge.

"Veronica," Boone called, pointing to the door, then moved over to Orion to help him. The grate was welded shut.

Veronica wound up and threw a hard punch into the door. The metal twisted but didn't break.

"Keep it up," Layla said, eyes scanning the room. "Whatever's going to happen, it's going to happen fast."

Boone nodded in agreement; they wouldn't be expecting to keep the group here long.

Just as he thought it, there was movement from the door they'd come through. A tall, gray haired man with scars along his face stood at the metal-barred entrance.

It was the man who'd chased them out of Nipton. Had to be a bounty hunter. He leaned in the gated doorway with a grin.

"Boo."

"Who are you?" Layla demanded.

"River Jack. I have to thank you for a great hunt," he said as he started to unlock the door. "I am a little disappointed that this worked so well; after that disappearing act at Nipton, I thought this would be more of a challenge."

Boone caught sight of several other men behind him and readied his rifle. He didn't dare fire until the door was all the way open; if he tried to get past the bars, the bullet would likely ricochet off the metal and hit someone else.

There was another slam from behind, then the whine of metal bending.

"Come on!" Veronica cried. "It's open!"

Boone looked back to find the twisted remains of a door on the ground. By now the bounty hunter was coming into the room with several others. The sniper planned to give cover fire, but Orion beat him to it as he started blasting his shotgun into the fray.

"Go already!" he hollered, and Boone took his advice, taking point as he started down the sewer's hallways. He looked back to make sure everyone was behind him and saw that Moreno hadn't followed.

"Wait, we can't leave Orion!" Layla yelled as Veronica grabbed her hand and started running.

"He's dead," Raul called from the back.

"What!?" the courier cried, she didn't resist as Veronica all but dragged her down the path.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	19. It's Personal

Boone was still leading them as they ran through the sewers. Raul left the navigations to him; with any luck, he'd steer them somewhere they'd be able to climb out of the sewer without interference.

Orion had bought them time, but they were still being pursued. He could heard hear the echoes of the mercenaries shouts as they fled. The old man's death had affected Raul more than he'd expected. He'd only known him for a day, but the man had been determined to protect the courier. If it hadn't been for him, they probably would have been caught already, or Raul or Boone would be dead in his place.

The old ghoul was pretty sure they could have been friends if there'd been time. The old man was a crotchety grump, but so was Raul when he wanted to be. It would have been nice to have someone to sneak to the Thorn with.

Boone had stopped ahead of them; he looked up at the ladder leading to the street.

"Stay over there," he said, pointing to the entrance to a side tunnel. Veronica dragged Layla out of sight. The courier looked pale, but seemed clear-headed. Moreno's death would haunt her when she got the chance to think about it. Another she'd consider her fault.

At the top of the ladder, Boone pulled the pistol from his hip as he lifted the manhole cover with his forearm. Once the lid was clear, he popped up and looked around, then ducked his head back down.

"Come on," he called, and Veronica and Layla came out of hiding. The scribe hurried the other girl up the ladder, then followed.

The old ghoul looked back the way they'd come; the shouts were getting louder, but not enough to make him worry. Once Veronica had climbed up and out of the sewer, Raul followed.

The exit Boone had led them to brought them just outside the H&H Tool Factory. By the time Raul climbed out, Boone had his rifle in his hands and was scanning the area for hostiles.

"What should we do?" Layla asked. "Run?" Raul saw Boone's eyes flick his way. He was looking for advice, and Raul wasn't sure of what to tell him.

"If we run, they'll chase us. There aren't a lot of places we can hide anymore," the ghoul pointed out. Layla's face twisted, but she nodded.

"So do we stay and fight?" Veronica asked, the hand encased in her displacer glove creaking as she flexed it.

"Gonna have to," Boone said suddenly. "They're coming."

Raul spun in the direction the younger man was looking; a group of armed men was coming their way from up the road. The purpose in their steps led Raul to agree with Boone.

"Find cover," the sniper said as he looked around for a spot to snipe from.

***.*.***

River Jack was all smiles now. He probably should have been somewhat disgruntled; that trap had been very expensive to set up. Red Lucy wasn't going to be happy the courier and her friends had escaped; if word got back to Westside that she'd sold them out, it wouldn't be good for her reputation.

Apparently such things mattered in Westside.

As for Jack and his Vipers, it was unlikely the woman would be happy with his group for letting their target escape, even temporarily. She had mentioned something about a bonus for bringing the sniper back to her, though

That was an interesting thought; even with the trouble in the sewers, if he brought her the courier's sniper, she might be more amicable to work with the Vipers again.

The problem was his employers had given him instructions of a similar nature; bring them the courier, bring one of her friends, if possible, and kill the rest. It had been made clear that the preferable choice was the sniper. He'd make the best hostage to keep the courier from resisting. Jack had dug around for information on the courier when he'd gotten this job; she was in a relationship with the 1st Recon sniper, so taking him in was the obvious choice.

Then again, his employers never said anything about a bonus for the bringing the man. River Jack weighed the options as he climbed the ladder out of the sewer; the only problem would come if the sniper managed to escape Red Lucy.

Jack was pretty sure the woman's plans for Craig Boone included keeping him alive for a while. That was an issue; the courier and her friends were supposed be scrappy, and River Jack had heard of the sniper's tenacity. Leaving him alive to break free of Red Lucy and come running for his girl probably wasn't the best idea.

Jack grunted as he hefted himself out of the manhole. He'd see how things went with the chase. If the sniper lived, maybe Jack would give him to Red Lucy. He'd wait and see.

Gaboon turned back to him as he got to his feet. "They're up at the H&H factory. Jeremiah and his group have already pinned them down.

Jack grinned. "Good."

"How should we proceed?"

"We'll circle around." He reached back and dug through the pouch on his belt. Gaboon watched with clear interest.

"The sacred venom?" he asked, sounding awed as Jack took out a blowgun and a few darts. The older mercenary nodded.

"Granville has been a worthy chase. I think she deserves the good stuff."

***.*.***

Running was definitely out of the picture now; the mercenaries had them pinned among the broken buildings near the tool factory. Layla had been separated from the others in the mess, though she could hear them fighting nearby.

She poked her head over the crumbled bit of wall she'd thrown herself behind. There were ten of them, she was pretty sure. Well, it started with ten. Boone took down anyone who showed themselves from a distance, Raul from mid-range, and Veronica punched anyone fool enough to get close into paste. All the while, ED-E popped in and out between the wreckage to shoot at the mercs, keeping them confused.

As for the courier, she was pretty much taking potshots at anyone she could see. If they got close enough, she'd blow them apart with her shotgun. But so far they were keeping their distance from her.

The more she thought about it, the less she liked it; they were trying to take her alive. Poking her head up, she saw two of the mercs firing in Raul's direction. Clearly they weren't hoping to capture the ghoul.

Teeth baring in a sudden burst of rage, Layla leveled her pistol at the two and fired. If these fucks thought they could just kill her friends like it was nothing and kidnap her, they were sorely mistaken. She could hear the rational part of her brain telling her calm down and think, but she was pissed now.

Emptying her clip, she managed to hit one of the mercs, and Raul got the other. Good. She'd rip these idiots apart with her teeth if she had to. No one was going to-

Her train of thought was interrupted by a sharp pain on the back of her shoulder. She twisted her arm and head to see a dart sticking out of her. That couldn't be good. Plucking it out of her skin, Layla ducked behind the crumbling wall again. She gave it a sniff and grimaced. It had probably been poisoned.

The spot it had hit was impossible for her to reach; she couldn't suck the poison out herself. She had get help from one of the others, and soon.

Layla looked up from her cover to shout for Veronica. The other woman had been the closest to her, the last she knew. The cry came out as a wheeze, and she slid back down the wall. All the strength in her body was rapidly fading.

Before she'd even hit the ground, she'd lost all feeling in her body. She couldn't even move her head or the muscles in her face. All she was able to manage was blinking her eyes. Her body lay crumpled against the wall, face smashed against the brick.

She couldn't move; it was like a waking nightmare. She'd gotten them in the past; eyes open, unable to move, not understanding that she was still asleep. The first time, she'd cried for help, but it had come out as a tiny squeak. The second time, she remembered trying to desperately get Boone's attention as he lay inches from her.

Both times, she'd closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Either she'd wake up or go back to sleep. But opening her eyes this time only showed her the dusty cement pressed against her face. Panic was starting to set in. She could still hear the others fighting. Gun fire and shouts and the whine of Veronica's displacer glove.

But she couldn't move. Nothing made her arms respond, no matter how hard she concentrated or strained. Just as a small whine escaped her slack mouth, there was a hand on her shoulder.

The strong but careful tug to turn her over made her think it was Boone. To her dismay, she found herself facing River Jack. The man looked at her and grinned. Letting her shoulder go, he leaned against the wall opposite Layla and started winding a bandage around his bleeding right arm.

"You know, this is the first time I've had chance to see you up close. You're a cute kid. I hate ruining cute kids' lives, but you know how it is."

Layla could do little more than drool angrily at him as he continued.

***.*.***

This wasn't going well. Veronica had just barely thrown herself behind a crumbled pillar before a volley of laser fire splashed the spot where she'd been.

She could see Boone from here; he was shooting at the guy lobbing dynamite at them. The explosives hadn't gotten close enough to actually hit anyone; Veronica was pretty sure the guy was just trying to keep them off balance.

Apparently Boone had enough; two shots and the man went down. She was about to thank him loudly, but she heard someone approach her pillar from behind. Ducking around, she was already swinging as she turned the corner. The energy weapon thug hadn't been expecting that, he barely got out a scream before his face was liquefied.

His buddy took a shot at the scribe as the other man fell. Veronica didn't have time to dodge, but the bullet only grazed her leg. The pain made her see red, and she quickly closed the distance to punch this one in the stomach.

This displacer glove did its job, and blood started pouring from his mouth. Veronica punched him in his lowered head, just to be sure.

Now that those two were out of the way, the scribe ducked back behind her pillar. Taking cover was a good idea, but so far Boone had been watching her back when she'd waded in.

Looking over at the sniper again, she gasped when she saw him collapse in a heap. She hadn't seen anything hit him, but she'd only gotten a quick look before he went down.

Taking a step to go after him, she had to leap back as peal of automatic fire struck her pillar.

***.*.***

"Well honey," River Jack said as he sat back down against Layla's crumbled wall. "I know you're not going to be happy with how this turns out. And since I just stuck your boyfriend, I've got to figure out who to hand him over to. Either my employer, or Red Lucy."

The muscles in her face wouldn't work, so River Jack couldn't see the horror she was feeling. He seemed to guess it, however.

"I know, it's a hard break. I don't know what exactly you or your friends did to get half the Mojave after you, but someone went to a lot of trouble to hire me." He grinned. "I don't work cheap."

"I will say this; you've been the hardest chase we've had. You might not know it, but that's pretty high praise."

Layla barely heard him; the revelation of Red Lucy's treachery was still bouncing around in her head. There hadn't been time to think about what had happened in the sewer. It might be hindsight now, but the courier should have suspected she would pull something underhanded.

But what did she want with Boone? A hostage? It didn't make a lot of sense. And it's not like he wanted anything to do with…

The panicky terror that had been settling over her was forced out by the rage that had suddenly surfaced. Unfortunately, angry or not, she still couldn't move.

"If your mouth was working, I'm sure you'd try to talk your way out of this," Jack continued as he checked over his bandaged arm. "It wouldn't have done you any good." He looked at her again, and a grin came back to his face. "Sorry sweetheart, it's not personal."

"It's personal to me," came a voice from the same direction Jack had entered the busted building. Layla was only barely able to turn her gaze up in time to see Raul appear. Before River Jack could respond in any way, the ghoul fired.

The bullet lodged cleanly between the mercenary's eyes. He slunk to the ground without so much as a word. Layla stared at him, unable to do much more. Raul rushed over and reached for her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sounding caught between anger and concern. Layla tried to answer him, but she just kept drooling. The ghoul shook his head, but looked somewhat relieved.

There was a grunt, then a groan from the other side of the wall. Raul aimed his revolver in the direction of the sound, but quickly holstered his weapon and rushed out of Layla's view. A moment later he returned with Veronica, both dragging Boone.

The courier tried to ask if he was okay, but her body still wasn't responding. With what appeared to be considerable effort, Veronica and Raul pulled the sniper over to Layla. His eyes were open, and Layla saw him looking her over frantically. She caught his eye, and they looked at each other, unable to do more.

"We need to find somewhere to hide until they recover," Veronica said above them.

"I'll carry Layla," Raul answered.

"What? Why do I have to carry Boone?"

"You're younger and stronger."

"But he's the size of a pregnant brahmin that ate for three."

Boone's gaze snapped over to the girl, but it was all he could do. The scribe groaned as she moved over and started hefting him up.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a great rest of the weekend!


	20. Layla

Her mouth felt and tasted like ashes. Layla didn't care, though; the poison dart's paralysis effect had finally worn off. She'd take a nasty taste in her mouth over not being able to move any day.

Veronica and Raul had dragged her and Boone to one of the abandoned houses near Freeside, with a considerable amount of effort. Veronica in particular had been very disgruntled about wrangling the sniper.

Once they'd thrown Layla and Boone on a bed, the other two disappeared from sight, telling them to drool loudly if they needed anything. Then there had been a couple hours of motionless staring. The courier had tried to calm herself and sleep, but she'd been too nauseous from the poison and too anxious from being unable to move.

As the hours passed, the venom's effects gradually faded. Her fingertips started to twitch on command, much to her relief, and she could just start moving her facial muscles. Boone's arm slowly wrapped around her soon afterward, and she'd been able to relax enough to sleep for a few hours until the effects were all but gone.

Now, though, she still felt woozy. She sat upright, slowly sipping the Nuke Raul had set in front of her. The ghoul had been hovering around her since she got up. It reminded her of the time they'd gone to Red Rock Canyon with semi-disastrous results.

The ghoul had saved them from River Jack, along with Orion Moreno. While she was recovering from her paralysis, she'd had plenty of time to think about the former Enclave soldier. Layla hadn't liked him very much, and she'd been convinced he hated her in turn. But in the end he'd given his life so they could escape.

She didn't know how to feel about that. Had he done it because Judah Kreeger, his commanding officer, had asked him to? Or had Orion liked her in some strange way. She'd probably never know now, but it played hell in her head as she tried to deal with the guilt and confusion.

"Can't stay much longer," Boone said, breaking Layla out of her train of thought. She winced slightly when he spoke; his voice was hoarse and weaker than usual. He'd recovered a lot quicker than she had, not surprisingly. Now the sniper sat across from her with his own recovery drink. "Not far from the fight, right?"

"Yeah, there's probably a couple sets of bloody footprints leading right here," Veronica answered from behind the ancient gossip magazine she'd picked up.

"And a big indent from where you dragged Boone," Raul added.

"Let me finish my Nuke," Layla croaked. "Then we can go."

"We don't have all week," the scribe said as she stretched her arms and stood. "And where are we going?"

"I have an idea," the courier said, a bit of smug satisfaction coloring her tone.

"Well you sure had enough time to think," the other girl shot back.

***.*.***

At least it was a nice day, Raul thought as they finally emerged from the old house. There were people milling around in the distance, but no one close enough to worry. If they hurried on, they'd probably be fine. Probably.

"It's perfect; we'll be able to hide and we can send ED-E back and forth to get info," Layla explained. "The Boomers have a lot of info on the area since they started flying The Lady around; they might even have something on the power station's attack." Despite how strained her voice still sounded, the girl seemed to be in good spirits. "Not our attack," she added, "the other one."

"With the bounty hunter gone, things should be a lot easier," Veronica said. "Until another one picks up the trail."

"They won't," Layla said, sounding full of confidence, "not if we're in..."

A mildly suspicious look came over her face, then morphed into horror, and the old ghoul looked in the direction she was staring.

Three NCR rangers had emerged from the sides of the houses surrounding them. They stopped a few yards away from the group. The rangers must have tracked them and waited for them to leave the house.

"Layla Granville," barked the one in the lead, "you're wanted for treason."

The courier stared back in shock.

Raul casually put a hand on his revolver. Layla probably didn't want any bloodshed, but this was going to turn ugly. The ghoul was prepared to shoot his way through NCR rangers if he needed to.

He glanced over to Boone and found the younger man's face grim. He was probably thinking of an escape plan, one that didn't involve killing his fellow soldiers. They might not have that luxury…

"So you'd better get off the damn roads," the ranger continued. The stricken look on Layla's face became confused.

"Milo... you... what?" she stuttered. "Aren't you going to arrest me?"

"Not unless you've killed someone you weren't supposed to," the ranger said, putting his hands on his hips. "Rangers don't have to take orders from the army, remember?"

"But. I don't think I understand," Layla said, still blinking at him.

"Hanlon knows you didn't kill Crocker or those Followers, and we damn well know you didn't take over the Strip," the ranger shrugged. "The information we got from your caravan buddy about the legionaries just confirmed it."

The courier sagged like she'd been deflated, relief plain on her face. "I'm going to kiss Cass right on her fat ass," she murmured. "Have you guys figured anything out?" she said to the rangers.

"Chief Hanlon's been working to track that frumentarius down. He's gone to a lot of trouble to keep his movements hidden; we were convinced he and all his crew were long dead."

Layla nodded. "You don't know how I…" Her voice had grown hoarse, and Raul frowned as he saw tears welling in the girl's eyes again. "I thought everyone had given up on me."

Milo looked somewhat uncomfortable at her display. He scratched the back of his neck, then continued. "Listen, we're not after you, but the army is. Moore wants you in chains. You need to hide while we sort this shit out."

"Okay," the courier sniffled with a nod. "I think I know where we can go. It-"

"Don't tell me," the man said, exasperated. "It's better we don't know."

"I… Okay. If you need to contact me, go through the Mojave Express."

"Fine, just go. If we're seen with you, it's going to get real awkward around the water cooler."

***.*.***

Raquel, the Boomers' master-at-arms, looked like she was planning to shoot Layla where she stood. The courier was too tired from the walk over to be snippy about the woman's poor attitude, even if the Boomer was already getting on her nerves.

"Are you going to let us in or not?" Veronica groused, sounding about as fed up as Layla felt. Raquel turned her glare the scribe's way and sighed.

"Fine, go tell Mother Pearl your problem. She'll determine if you can stay."

Layla nodded, then started trudging toward the elder's house. As she passed Rachel, the woman grabbed her arm.

"If you bring your troubles to us, I will personally make sure you're punished."

"Fine," Layla said, shaking free of the other woman's grip. The walk to Mother Pearl's house was quiet and somewhat tense. She wasn't sure exactly why; they'd been here before. Well, Raul hadn't, but Veronica had been once, and Boone twice.

Maybe it was because of Layla; she'd even noticed how unlike herself she'd been acting. She was tired. Since meeting the rangers, the stress that had been pressing in on her had lessened considerably. And with some of the pressure gone, she was starting to realize how weary she felt.

Although it could be the Boomers themselves; Raquel was always an ornery ass, but the others she'd seen looked unhappy too. Since Layla and her friends had helped them restore their bomber plane, the group had always been very friendly to them.

"Look," Veronica murmured, nodding to their side. Glancing over, Layla didn't know what she was supposed to be looking at.

"That isn't a Boomer," Boone said. Confused further, the courier looked at the people moving a large piece of machinery towards the power station.

They were right; two of the men were clearly Boomers. Johnny and Hernandez, she was pretty sure . The other two weren't wearing vault suits, and the courier had never seen them before.

"I wonder who they are..." Layla said out loud. "The Boomers are pretty xenophobic; we had to do a lot before they stopped threatening to kill us," she explained for Raul's sake.

"Mother Pearl can tell us," Veronica pointed out as they reached her bunker. Layla nodded, climbed the stairs to the door and knocked.

"Come in!" came the old woman's voice a moment later. Layla opened the door and walked in.

Mother Pearl was speaking with a couple other Boomers, including Loyal. More interestingly, there was another outsider among them, a man with heavily gelled red hair and a cautious look on his face. Whatever they were going over seemed to be forgotten when they saw who had entered.

"Hello, child," Mother Pearl said warmly. "What brings you here?"

"We, well I... There's been some... trouble," Layla rambled. The sudden appearance of the strangers had thrown her off. She usually didn't have much trouble dealing with curveballs like that, but she was tired from the walk and still recovering from the poison, far from the top of her game.

The old woman seemed to notice her discomfort and turned to the others in the room.

"We'll continue later. Go on, let me speak with my dear friends."

Loyal nodded, but the outsider gave them a look that bordered between curiosity and annoyance. He left along with the old Boomer. Once they were gone, Mother Pearl turned back to Layla.

"Tell me what's wrong, dear. Let's see if Mother Pearl can help."

***.*.***

Layla sat on the cot with a groan. She definitely wasn't over her poisoning; her entire body ached, and the relatively short walk to Nellis Air Force Base had drained her.

At least she felt like she could relax now. With the rangers looking into things, it didn't feel like everything was on her shoulders. That complacent attitude wasn't going to last long; it was only a matter of time before she had to get back to finding and stopping Vulpes.

For now though, she'd just rest. Mother Pearl had been kind enough to let them all stay in one of the unoccupied buildings. That was a lot more desirable than getting separated, something she was fairly certain Boone wouldn't go for this time around.

The door opened, and Veronica came in. Layla had excused herself with the need for a nap while the others were shown wasn't too surprised the scribe ended up here; the other woman didn't care for the Boomer's penchant for calling outsiders 'savages.'

Veronica walked over to Layla. For a moment, she looked hesitant, then sat down next to her.

"How are you feeling?" the scribe asked, sounding a little strange.

"Tired..." Layla answered. "What's wrong?"

Veronica shrugged, then sighed. "About Christine..."

Layla realized with a burst of guilt that she'd forgotten all about the other woman's discovery; Veronica's girlfriend was alive, and Layla had kept it a secret.

There hadn't been much time to talk about it before, but the scribe must also have been feeling the calming effects the rangers aid and the Boomer's shelter had given. Matters beyond life and death were bound to come up. She looked at Layla and shook her head.

"I'm still pretty pissed."

The courier opened her mouth to speak, but Veronica held up her hand. "I know, I know: she made you promise. And I know you take that seriously, and I know you weren't happy about it. But I'm still pissed."

It felt like someone had put a vise on Layla's stomach; Veronica had been one of her closest and most trusted friends for the last year. The thought of losing her friendship because of something she didn't even want to do in the first place made her feel ill. The other woman sighed heavily again, then rubbed her face with both hands, wearily.

"I'm pissed at you, Layla. I want to say it's just directed at Elijah and Christine and the Brotherhood, but I'm mad at you too. If I had done this to you, you wouldn't be happy either."

Layla could only nod at that. It was true, she couldn't deny it. She'd expected tears to come from this, but a tired numbness was all she felt.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I never wanted to hurt you." There wasn't much more to say. But the scribe stared at her, waiting.

"I..." she hesitated, then decided to just throw it out, "If you can't get over this, I can ask Raul to see you back to Hidden Valley with ED-E. I..." she faltered for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Veronica's expression had been somewhat pained, but suddenly confusion settled over her features.

"Go back to Hidden Valley? What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

"But you-"

"I said I'm pissed, Layla. You're pretty much my sister; I'm not going to let you hang out to dry just because we're having a fight. We'll... we'll work it out eventually."

A somewhat irritated look crossed the scribe's features before she continued. "Did you really think I'd abandon you now?"

"You sounded like you were about to," Layla admitted. "I don't want you to go. But everything's so messed up..."

Veronica shook her head, looking exasperated as she scooted closer and wrapped an arm around the shorter woman.

"I'm not going anywhere. We'll sort out the Mojave together, then you can start working on getting back in my good book."

The foggy detachment Layla had been wading through broke into relief, intense after the numb feeling that had come over her. Layla leaned her head on the other woman's shoulder as a watery smile cross her face.

"I know how to start getting you to like me again."

"Hm?" Veronica said as she rested her head against Layla's.

"Remember all those Nuka-Quartz you ordered that never came in? They're all at in the Presidential Suite at the 38."

"They _are?!_ We need to stop Vulpes before he drinks them all!"

***.*.***

"I'll be honest; we don't see a lot of ghouls," Charlie said as he finished working the huge brush through his howitzer.

"I guess you haven't back home to Vault 34 in a while," Raul answered as he watched. "I hear it's full of them."

The Boomer frowned at that, but shrugged. "We left when things were getting bad. I guess it was the right decision."

Raul nodded; he was right about that. The Boomers had been acting uncomfortable around him, but not overly hostile. He'd dealt with that before; people who'd never seen a ghoul up close tended to be disgusted at first, even if they didn't mean to be rude.

It was nothing new, but he hadn't been around so many at the same time in a while. But even he had to admit it took some getting used to talking to what looked like a walking corpse. He'd gone through it himself.

Layla had suggested he go look for Charlie specifically; she'd thought they'd get along. So far she'd been right: the man was mechanically minded and took pride in keeping the machinery under his care in order. That was something Raul could appreciate.

The man had also been doing a good job at keeping his revulsion in check. He'd only looked away a few times. He seemed to have decided to just focus on Raul's eyes when he looked at him. That was pretty friendly of him.

Raul was about to swing the conversation toward the howitzer's firing mechanism. Charlie was a lot more comfortable talking about machinery than he was the social standings of the 'living dead.' But then he caught sight of a woman walking by.

She wasn't wearing one of the Boomer's modified Vault suits. Layla had mentioned how strange it was that so many non-Boomers were here.

"Are you guys having equipment problems?" he asked, nodding to the woman. Charlie looked over, then frowned again.

"No," the other man said automatically, then shrugged. "Yes, but that's not the only issue." He looked back at Raul, careful to keep his gaze on the other man's eyes.

"After Hoover Dam, we've had to restock our supplies. Ammunition, fuel, medical supplies and food. It nearly wiped out our stores."

Raul nodded as he watched the woman step into the mess hall. "So why all the extra people?"

"We tried to handle it ourselves, but our estimates for maintaining the Lady and use of missiles were low. So the NCR offered to give us some supplies for our efforts. We accepted; they did owe us, but it seems like since we've let them in to deliver it, it's been a revolving door of people."

He frowned pointing a wrench east. "Then once the solar array let go, we've had to get outside repair help."

"What happened?"

"Not sure," Charlie shrugged. "Not my department, but something about a 'catastrophic failure.' Nothing anyone could see coming, but we lost most of our power for quite a while."

"We ended up brokering deals with a caravan company to get the parts, and there were a lot. It would have taken all the supplies we just got, so instead we let them open bartering rights with us. There's plenty of old-world tech that's just collecting dust, so every now and then they send someone to look at what we're not using and determine if it's any use to someone else."

"Seems reasonable," Raul said. "Don't you keep them guarded?"

"We did at first, but most of them are well known now. I figure there's always going to be some tension." He looked around the base for a moment, then back to his howitzer.

"I've got to adjust the bottom sleigh on this one. Want to help?"

"Sure," Raul answered, happy for something to do.

***.*.***

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

_"Pleeeeease?!"_

"NO."

Layla stuck her lower lip out and gave Loyal her most pathetic look. The old man was unimpressed.

"No. You can't go up on The Lady. We're doing a test flight with the new motor and I don't want you on it."

"But-"

"No."

_"But-"_ This time she was stopped by Boone's hand on her shoulder. He probably didn't want her on the machine either. Loyal looked thoroughly exasperated now; she'd had been working on the old man since they'd entered the hangar.

"Maybe if the motor works out, you can go on a later flight," Loyal said in concession.

"Okay," Layla said, now all smiles. The Boomer Elder shook his head, then looked out at the hanger full of people.

"All non-flight crew, leave," he called. The courier took that to include her, Boone and Raul as well, but the man put a hand on her arm as she started to move.

"You can stay; I just want all the non-Boomers out."

"Oh." The Lady had lost a few of its major systems since the Hoover Dam battle. The NCR had sent a few engineers to help them put it back together, which had pissed off the old man.

Soon the only people in the hangar were Boomers and honorary Boomers. Loyal seemed to relax a bit more then.

"Jack, do the final run through and have the crew board," Loyal called to his apprentice, who nodded and started bustling about.

"Wait over there," Loyal said to Layla, indicating the work benches. "You may want to cover your ears; this gets very loud."

"Okay," Layla said as she, Boone and Raul did as they were told. Janet was already there, looking somewhat bored. Layla hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Jack's girlfriend lately. Veronica had made the same face when she'd declined the opportunity to look at the plane. That had surprised Layla; the scribe loved unfamiliar machinery. Maybe Veronica just didn't like Loyal. She'd taken ED-E and gone for a walk.

"Hello," the courier said as she joined Janet at the 'safe area.' "How are you doing?"

"Fine; the Boomers are pretty nice to me now," the other woman answered. "I even helped them with make a deal with the Crimson Caravan."

"Ah," Layla murmured. Raul had mentioned the solar array. The courier had been somewhat horrified at the thought that she might have screwed something up when she'd fixed it months earlier, but Loyal had told her it was a defect in the generator, not anything she dealt with.

Layla didn't want to say anything out loud yet, but when her group was alone in the bunker later, they were going to compare notes. Something was wrong. The Boomers had a lot of unknown people here, as well as new mechanical troubles. The courier was starting to suspect the issues were related.

The flight crew was soon on board, and the engineers all backed up from the plane, most coming their way.

The plane's engines roared to life, and Layla found herself fascinated watching the propellers start to spin. She sighed, wishing she could have gone on The Lady.

She was turning to speak to Loyal about the next flight when she saw something move near the plane's door. Looking back, she saw one of the non-Boomers, one with huge goggles and a cap, climbing onto the plane. He'd been quick; Layla would have easily missed him if she'd moved her head too fast.

The suspicions of the outsiders still fresh in her mind made her run for The Lady. By the time she'd gotten close enough, the plane was already starting to move; slowly taxying out of the garage.

There were shouts behind her; either someone else had noticed the non-Boomer sneak on or they were wondering what the hell she was doing. Either way, she had to at least warn the flight crew.

_You could have radioed_, her brain sighed. But Layla wrenched the plane's door open. "No time, they could all be dead by then," she said back as she levered herself into the aircraft. She'd just let them know, and they'd stop the flight.

***.*.***

Layla had started running for the plane just as it moved from its spot. For a moment, Boone thought she was just trying to get on board to take the ride she'd been denied. But he got a glimpse of her face as he started after her; her expression was serious. Something was wrong.

Just as the courier got into the machine, it had really picked up speed. He couldn't catch up now.

"Radio them!" Raul yelled from behind. "You have a radio, right?!

"It's jammed!" Jack cried back. "I can't get through!"

It felt like ice water had been poured down Boone's spine when he heard that. The plane had left the garage by now, and he ran after it. He heard Raul coming up behind him as well. Maybe they could both flag it down before it took off.

"What's going on?!" Veronica cried as they ran by. "Where's Layla?"

"She's on the plane," Raul yelled. Soon the scribe and ED-E were running with them.

"ED-E, get up to the cockpit windows," Veronica cried, and the eyebot started zooming ahead of them. Before the robot could make it, the plane had already taken off.

"What's she doing?!" the scribe shouted as she came to a halt. It was too high for ED-E's hover motors to give chase now.

***.*.***

The inside of the plane was smaller than Layla expected. She noted as she cautiously crept through the cabin that the claustrophobic feeling may have come from the walls being stacked with missiles.

She nearly called out a warning to the crew, but stopped herself. Whoever had slipped onto the plane might be closer than the Boomers in the front.

The sound of the engines was so loud she could barely hear herself think, and the slowly building panic that something might go wrong in the air made her rush for the cockpit. But before she got there, she found the man who had slipped onto the aircraft. The goggles were around his neck, and now Layla saw just how big he was.

"Bloodmoon?!" Layla cried as the man entered her section of the plane. He looked somewhat surprised, the most emotion she'd seen on the man's face, then he launched himself at her.

Layla let out a shriek and reached for her gun. They were in a cabin full of bombs, but maybe the Legionary would think she was stupid enough to fire. Before she could think much else, Bloodmoon's full weight crashed down on her, knocking her to the floor.

He tried to grab her wrists, but Layla drove her knee into his side as hard as she could. It only slowed him for a minute, but it gave her enough time to slam him over the head with her gun.

Bloodmoon grunted angrily, then struck her across the face. He reached for the pistol, trying to pry it out of her hand. As they struggled over it, the gun went off. Layla saw the shot hit one of the racks holding the bombs, which now tilted precariously, threatening to fall over.

She pulled the gun free of the legionary's grip and swung at his head again. The blow seemed to daze him this time, and she took the opportunity to squirm out from under him. As he struggled to get to his feet, she leapt up and ran for the damaged rack just as it started to collapse.

***.*.***

Boone reached for his rifle and looked through the scope. All he could see was the plane's hull. Nothing looked out of place.

"Where are they going?" Veronica asked as the plane kept climbing in the air.

"It was just a test flight," Raul answered. "She wanted to go on, but Loyal said no."

"Maybe she just snuck on so she could ride?" Veronica said, sounding hopeful.

"No," Boone said, still looking through his scope. "She-"

He was interrupted as a huge explosion rocked the plane. All three watched in shocked silence as the aircraft started falling out of the sky, then plummeted to the ground in the distance.

* * *

******New plan: Until further notice, regular updates won't be happening. I'll be putting out chapters, but I can't promise an exact date. I'm sorry to the folks who've been patient with me, but I'm just swamped this month and I don't want the story to suffer. I guarantee you I will finish this series. Pinky-swear.**


	21. As It Is In Heaven

Hey guys. I know it's been a while, but I'm back! We're going to try to get back on schedule, which means hopefully posting twice a week until the story is complete!

Speaking of which, welcome to Act 3.

* * *

Arcade was in California.

Of all the things that could be bouncing around Boone's head, that was the one he latched onto. Arcade was in California. The sniper had dealt with plenty of doctors, especially since he'd joined the military, but he'd never really liked any of them. Doc Mitchell wasn't so bad, but Arcade was the only doctor he'd liked or trusted completely.

Given the man's background, that was kind of funny.

Boone was following the billowing smoke to where the Boomer's plane had crashed. Layla had been on it; she was going to need a doctor, if she wasn't… She was going to need a doctor. And Arcade was in California.

It wasn't a good thought, but it was better than all the others he could be thinking. Focusing on the rushing in his ears wasn't enough, he had to-

The sniper crested the hill overlooking the crashed plane. It wasn't completely engulfed in flames, like he'd feared, but the machine was badly mangled.

There may have been some part of him cautioning him to wait and make sure he wasn't about to run into a ball of flame when he opened the plane's door. If there was, he ignored it as he ran for the entrance anyway. He grabbed the handle and pulled, ignoring the burst of pain as the metal burned his skin.

The cabin was full of smoke. He ducked his head down and pulled his undershirt over his nose. He could see bodies on the floor. None of them seemed to be moving, and Boone could see a few of them were charred, either from the fire or the explosion that had downed the plane.

All other thoughts stopped when he noticed the body at his feet. It was smaller than the others, but burned beyond recognition. Layla's pistol was clutched in its hand.

***.*.***

The hollow feeling was probably shock. Boone had felt the sensation start in his chest and permeate his entire body. But he was thinking clearly; at least enough to go over what they'd found. It had been swirling through his head for the last few hours.

The Lady had a five-person crew. When they'd put the fire out and removed all the bodies, there were seven. Five Boomers, one stowaway… and Layla.

The extra body had been a mystery until they'd searched him and found a ripper, a bottle of foul-smelling liquid, and not much else. No tools, no money, no personal items at all. He clearly wasn't a random saboteur, but it was the bitter drink that gave him away; he was a Legionary. Undoubtedly a frumentarius.

The snakeskin-handled gun Joshua Graham had given her had been the only thing they'd been able to salvage from her. Everything else had been burnt to all but ash. The roll of duct tape for 'emergencies', the white, flowered dress for 'real emergencies,' her ancient, beat up Vault 13 canteen, the letters and papers she kept on her, the 1st Recon beret Boone had given her the day they met, all gone. Not even her Pip-Boy had survived.

The Boomers were still tending to their dead, burying them in the cemetery at the back of the base. The Legionary's remains had been dumped over the fence for the nightstalkers.

Mother Pearl had offered to have Layla buried with the Boomers, but Veronica made the call against it. Layla had told her once she didn't like the idea of rotting. The condition the courier's body was in would have probably upset her, so they'd gathered her remains and finished burning them.

Boone watched where the last traces of ash and smoke had disappeared. The numbness was still there, but this wasn't like Carla's death. As he felt Veronica's arms wrap around his waist and Raul's hand clasp his shoulder, he realized there was something different this time; he wasn't alone.

It didn't make the numbness go away, and he knew it wouldn't make the pain any better when it came. But it was a lot easier to bear knowing he wasn't alone this time.

ED-E started playing 'In The Shadow of The Valley' again. He'd hovered after the last of the smoke once Layla's body was gone. Boone had thought the robot would keep going after it, but the eyebot surprised him as it turned around and flew back to them. Since then he'd buzzed around Boone, occasionally beeping sadly between songs.

Veronica had started sobbing against him, so he worked an arm around her. He was surprised he hadn't joined her; he wasn't holding back, but nothing came.

"What are we going to do now?" the scribe asked quietly. He wanted to give her an answer, but the future was too hard to think about right now.

"Who's trouble are we going to get into now?" came from Raul. Boone looked at him; the ghoul had a stricken expression he'd never seen on him before. Seeing that look finally cracked the numbness.

He'd thought it'd be sorrow that would assault him; he was surprised when the first thing he felt was anger. No, something beyond anger. The Legion had taken both of the women he'd loved. Layla had helped him avenge his wife. Together they'd killed two of the Legions' leaders. Boone would take care of the third for her.

"We're going to stop Vulpes," Boone blurted out suddenly. He saw both Veronica and Raul look at him, so he continued. "And clear Layla's name."

He felt Veronica nod against him, and both turned to look at Raul as he laughed.

"I think the boss would be happy to know we've graduated to your trouble, Boone."

Veronica snorted a laugh against him, then let go while she wiped her face. She looked like she was about to speak, but a shout from behind interrupted her.

"You cost us everything!" Raquel cried as she stormed over. There were angry tears in her eyes and she shook with fury when she came to a stop in front of them. Boone couldn't think of anything to say; that plane had been everything to the Boomers, but Layla hadn't brought the Legionaries with her.

"You cost us our dreams, our future!" the woman yelled. "We've lost everything because of that idiot courier!" The master-at-arms looked like she was about to launch herself at them.

Hearing her insult Layla surprisingly had no effect on Boone, but Veronica took a step forward, pulling back her arm. Raul grabbed the scribe's shoulder, but she broke free and kept moving.

Boone saw Raquel start to reach for the gun on her hip, and the sniper immediately drew his own sidearm. He didn't care if the Boomer was just blinded by anger, he wasn't going to let her hurt any of his friends.

Just as he started raising the pistol, he heard someone start shouting at them.

"Put those weapons down!" Mother Pearl cried, sounding disappointed and angry at the same time. Raquel froze, then dropped her hands to her sides. Veronica let Raul pull her back a step, and Boone didn't even notice he'd lowered his weapon until he looked down.

The old woman came marching over with Loyal. The Boomers' funeral must have finished.

"I know we're all upset, but turning weapons on each other won't bring back our dead," Pearl said, sounding kind and firm at the same time.

"But the Lady!" Raquel cried. "And five of our people. We can't-"

"They didn't cause this," the elder interrupted. "We did with our carelessness. And baring our teeth to trusted allies when they are just as hurt won't help. Only our enemies will benefit from that."

The rage that had twisted Raquel's face melted away, and a look that bordered sorrow and shame took its place. Mother Pearl reached out to the woman, squeezing her shoulder. The master-at-arms turned away, starting back toward the cemetery without a word.

Mother Pearl turned back to Boone, Veronica and Raul. She looked sad, and even older than she was.

"We have banished all outsiders from our base. We have learned from our mistake."

Uncertainty hung in the air at that; Boone wondered if that meant she wanted them to leave. But Pearl moved forward to clasp Veronica's shoulder as the girl looked like she was fighting off tears again.

"You are not outsiders. We called your our brothers and sisters before, and that has not changed." She let the girl go, then moved to Boone, surprising him as she pulled him into an embrace. He'd stiffened at first, but the gentle, grandmotherly gesture dulled the anger that had been clouding his head.

"You are our family from shared battle, and now from shared loss. You will always be welcome at Nellis."

***.*.***

"So what's the plan?" Raul said, looking over to Boone, who sat across the picnic table at the Grub n' Gulp. They had stopped at there for dinner and to restock their provisions before moving on.

The sniper looked up from the ornate pistol in his hands. He'd been staring at it since they came here. His plan to avenge Layla was going to be a little tougher than he probably realized. They had no clue where Inculta was, or even his exact plan. The ghoul didn't want to point that out. Boone didn't need to hear it.

The Boomers had been a lot kinder than Raul had expected, at any rate; there had been a point when he expected their bodies to be dumped over the fence with that Legionary. Instead, they'd been invited to stay at Nellis as long as they needed.

But they hadn't stayed; none of them wanted to be hidden away while the people who'd killed Layla and destroyed her reputation were still out there. Vulpes didn't know Layla was dead. Hopefully he wouldn't find out for a while. Raul had the bad feeling that once he did, he'd move his plans faster, not having to worry about the courier or the unified force she brought with her.

The sun was starting to set; they'd have to find a place to stay soon. Boone had spent most of the afternoon staring at the table, or Layla's gun. He wasn't allowing himself to mourn, instead focusing on his anger. He'd done that with Carla; the man had admitted as much in the past. If he kept it up, his unacknowledged grief would twist him again, and the ghoul knew Layla wouldn't have wanted that.

He was about to speak, tell Boone that they needed to take some time to process what had happened, but he saw the sniper's face change. Raul knew that look: grim determination. Veronica seemed to notice it as well, and she cringed. Boone was an intimidating guy when he looked neutral. When he was angry, he was scary.

"Get your stuff and start walking out of here," he said quietly. "Now."

Veronica and Raul quickly gathered their things and left the table, heading for the road.

"What's he doing?" Veronica asked, sounding worried.

"I don't… Oh." Raul said as he saw Boone coming their way.

"'Oh?' What's 'oh?'" Veronica asked.

The sniper approached them with a man in a garish suit. The man didn't look happy, and Raul could see Boone's machete pressed against his side.

"Uh…" Veronica sounded shocked. "Did we just kidnap someone?"

"Not just anyone," Raul said, glancing Veronica's way. "You never met Benny in person, did you?"

"Benny? _You're_ Benny?" the scribe asked as both men joined them.

"Yeah, hi," the former Chairman said sourly. "Nice to meet you."


	22. More Trouble

"I don't buy it."

The Brotherhood girl, Veronica, he thought her name was, looked like she didn't understand him at first. Eventually her features settled into a glare that matched the others' in the room. Benny would have been worried, but he'd been getting death glares from the whole group since they'd grabbed him and dragged him to this bunker. The place had Brotherhood flags hung all over, but clearly hadn't been lived in for a while. Now everyone was glaring at either him or the walls.

Benny was having a hard time believing them when they said the courier was dead. He'd shot her twice in the head, and barely two months later she'd shown up on the Strip and ruined all his plans. Not long after, she'd torn the Fort apart to get the Platinum Chip from Caesar. Granted, she hadn't done it alone, but it was pretty impressive for a dead woman.

That little stunt at the Fort had also caused Benny a lot of personal turmoil; Granville had saved his life, nearly getting herself and her friends killed in the process. That meant he owed her, and there were few things Benny hated more than owing a debt.

He could lie to himself and say helping her friends would settle their score, but he knew damn well that'd be a lie. He had his own plans, and getting picked up by the courier's talented friends had been a lucky break.

Either way, he supposed it didn't matter; as hard as it was to believe, Layla Granville was dead, and he was free of debt or guilt concerning the girl.

Glancing at the group of sour faces before him again, he groaned and reached into his inner coat pocket. Benny noted that all three of his 'hosts' stiffened when he did; probably half-thinking he'd pull a gun. He disappointed them, though. All he was going for was the pack of smokes he'd been nursing. Tapping a cigarette free and sticking it in his teeth, he gave them a grin.

"Okay, fine. I get it; and you want the fink who did this. But how do you expect me to help?"

Benny had a pretty good idea of what he could and couldn't do, but he'd decided to play dumb for now. It wasn't his fault if they were stupid enough to believe him.

"Legionaries used your robot to frame Layla and take over the Strip," the sniper, Boone, spoke up. That was the one he worried about most; the man always sounded calm and like he wanted to cave Benny's head in at the same time. The former Chairman couldn't decide if he was perpetually enraged or just loony. Either way, he'd been giving the sniper a wide berth.

"Ah," Benny said out loud, back to the matter at hand. He lit the cigarette in his mouth and sucked in a breath of smoke. He relished the sensation for a moment, the blew out a smoke ring that broke apart soon after it formed. "I take it that's why I've been escorted to this little love shack?"

Veronica winced at that. "There has to be some way around what Yes Man's done. He was destroyed after he transferred control of the other securitrons."

Benny nodded as he made another attempt at a smoke ring. This one didn't keep its shape long either. "I'm surprised Layla didn't take him out, to be honest. He was always a backdoor into House's system."

"She didn't want to kill him…" Veronica said, frowning. Benny couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah, that sounds like something she'd say." He noticed the guarded look that came over the Brotherhood girl. "So your Legion buddy's looking to take over, huh?"

"I think he just wants to cause as much damage as possible," the snarky ghoul said. Boone might have been the most likely to snap, then snap him in half, but the ghoul had been watching him like a hawk. In all honesty, it was probably the old man who was going to give him the most trouble.

"He was the head of the frumentarii," the ghoul continued. That got Benny's attention.

"Vulpes Inculta," he responded, then smirked when he saw the surprised looks that got him. "What? I kept up with things while I was head of the Chairmen. Foxy boy liked to wander the Strip, working the angles."

Taking another puff of the cigarette, he frowned up at the smoke as he blew it out. "That guy is bad news. Whatever plans he's got cooking aren't going to be good for anyone."

"Do you know how to stop what Yes Man did?" the ghoul asked.

"To tell you the true; I don't know," Benny said with a shrug, "I don't even know what Vulpes had him do. But there might be a way to find out."

That certainly got their attention; the sneers on their faces had even faded. Oh, that was good. They were desperate for an answer, probably looking for something to focus their grief on.

"If we can get a functioning securitron, we can get its orders."

"How are we going to get one?" Veronica asked. "They'll probably try to kill us on sight."

"That's for you to figure out, toots. You get a bot, and we can pick its brain. Between what I know about the things and what you know about computers, we should be able to figure out what they're up to."

His three hosts looked at each other for a long moment, then the ghoul nodded. That seemed to be enough for them, and they started working out how to grab a securitron. That was real good; they were willing to go along with his plans, to a point anyway.

Layla's friends were going to be useful assets, but Benny would have to be very careful using them. Their grief made it easy to manipulate them, but one wrong step and he'd end up with a sniper rifle jammed up his ass.

Still, it felt good to have another con going. And what fun was it if it wasn't dangerous?

***.*.***

"Son of a bitch!" Veronica cried as she dodged a chunk of metal. They had been _so_ close with this one; the securitron they'd been after was missing the arm that housed its gatling gun, and Boone had just shot out its tire.

The plan had fallen apart when the robot exploded.

That was the third attempted they'd made to catch a securitron so far. Getting one of the robots wouldn't be easy; the Strip was too dangerous, and it was rare to see one wandering around. According to Benny, House had kept the army under the weather station at Fortification Hill. Raul had pointed out that would be a likely spot for Vulpes to operate out of as well.

The theory was all but confirmed when they spotted a few of the robots wheeling back and forth on the hill. The abandoned bunker was near a particularly thin area of the Colorado River, and all it took was a quick swim to cross over to former Legion territory.

Veronica turned back to the shore once she confirmed the securitron before her was destroyed. They'd been lucky to catch this robot alone, but she couldn't linger; if the Legionaries were working out of the Fort, there was a good chance someone might find them looking around, and no good could come of that.

She stared at the cold water of the Colorado for a moment, then grimaced and waded in.

Veronica didn't like having to work with Benny; she didn't trust him any further than she could throw him. Actually, she could probably throw him pretty far, further than she was willing to trust him at any rate. She didn't like him; Layla may have turned the other cheek when it came to the former Chairman, but Veronica certainly hadn't. The asshole had shot Layla in cold blood. That kind of thing didn't sit well with her and certainly didn't make her want to work with him. But they were stuck with him for now; he was the only person who knew how to deal with the securitrons.

The scribe had to assume Vulpes had made a few attempts to take Benny out; he was the only loose end when it came to knowledge about the robots. The Legionary had already killed Emily and gotten the Brotherhood to take the blame. Benny had probably proven too slippery to pin down; as far as Veronica knew, no one had seen the man for months, ever since Layla had rescued him from the Fort and Caesar.

The thought of the courier made Veronica's chest tighten. It had been only two days since they'd burned her remains, and she could already see how it was affecting the group. The most obvious change was how quiet things were; ever since they'd left the Boomers, there was no idle chatter during their travel, no rambling about how lucky they were to find a bag of yeast or what the new gossip was on the Strip or how expensive weapon mods were getting at the Gun Runners. They had descended into cold silence; no one spoke unless it was about their current objectives.

She shook the thought out of her head as she felt the bottom of the river bed touch her feet and started walking out of the water. Everyone was still grieving, but they'd bounce back. She hoped. Veronica herself would probably be the one to take up the chattering, as soon as she felt up to it. Now she just felt like a robot, doing whatever she was programmed to. That numbness was occasionally broken up by intense bursts of deep sorrow.

One of those bursts was threatening to creep up on her now as she trudged from the water. She could see where Boone had hunkered down to cover her. Once she was close enough, he tossed her a bundle of cloth to dry off.

_You're going to have to take care of Boone for me_… Layla had said that once. She'd just been joking at the time, and suffering from high-frequency complications that were meant to explode ants. But as Veronica looked at the man while she toweled water from her hair, she frowned. Of all of them, Boone would hurt the worst from Layla… from her being gone.

Since they'd started working on Benny's plan, the sniper had been closed off from the group. Boone had never been a talkative guy, but now he was keeping away from the others. Usually he was always in the thick of things, always listening, always there. He'd come out of nowhere with a dead-panned joke or an insight to whatever everyone else was talking about, then go back to whatever project or food he'd be keeping his hands busy with, or whatever magazine or book he was thumbing through.

Veronica wanted to think he just needed time. They all did. But she worried when it came to the sniper; with all the other awful things he'd had to deal with, this was going to hurt him badly. She and the others would recover, but one man could only take so much in so little time. Layla had asked her to look after him, and he'd become her brother in the few months they'd known each other. She couldn't just let him bottle everything up until it broke him all over again.

She made her way up to the spot where Boone was perched and sat next to him. Neither of them spoke for a long while. They just stared at the rapidly darkening sky. ED-E buzzed around them; if Veronica didn't know better, she'd say the robot was also worried about him.

"You're getting me wet," Boone grumbled, breaking the silence. Veronica responded by leaning closer and giving him a bear hug, hoping to transfer more of the water onto him. Boone grunted, trying to dislodge her.

Veronica didn't let go. The sniper set down his rifle and twisted around to try and pry her hands off. After a moment's struggle, she caught him giving her a strange look. She hadn't realized until then that tears were spilling down her cheeks.

Boone looked like he didn't know what to do at first, then he wrapped his arms around her as well. They stayed that way for a few minutes, frozen. Veronica felt Boone start shuddering and realized he was sobbing against her silently. She felt a strange burst of relief mixed with sorrow.

She clung to him harder, sobbing along with him. ED-E let out a sad, low whistle as he hovered nearby.

***.*.***

Layla frowned as she woke; how did she let her sheets get this funky-smelling? As soon as she got up, she was going to wash them. She turned on her side, burying her face in her pillow. It really didn't smell that great either. Lazily opening an eye, she saw Boone's hip. The courier often woke up from naps to find him sitting on the bed, reading or watching a holotape.

She pressed her faces against his leg affectionately. Her smile vanished as soon as she did; this wasn't her bed, she wasn't in the '38, and the person sitting next to her was _not_ Boone.

Hadn't seen been somewhere else? Yes, she'd been in a plane last. Then there'd been an explosion and…

She looked up, and nothing could have prepared her for the horror of finding she was in the same bed as Vulpes Inculta.


	23. Barbs

The feared Boomers turned out to be just as foolish as the NCR.

Blood Moon hadn't been surprised, perhaps disappointed, but not surprised. He'd yet to find a group of wastelanderes that even came close to the practicality the Legion swore by. These weapon fanatics had been easily infiltrated, allowing Blood Moon and his team to steal their cherished plane while they watched.

Things had been going as planned, until Blood Moon entered the cabin of the plane to find Layla Granville giving him a wide-eyed stare. She had not been part of the plan, and she was definitely not supposed to be here. The girl's hand immediately went for her gun, and Blood Moon rushed forward to tackle her.

Once he had her pinned under his weight, the Legionary nearly allowed himself a smile. Vulpes would be quite pleased when they brought him both the bomber and the courier. But first he had to secure the girl, who was putting up a fight. The cabin was full of bombs; one stray gunshot could destroy them all. That thought was firmly in his mind as the courier's gun went off during their struggle.

Blood Moon had named the courier Pestis months ago. In all things she never failed to live up to the title.

Just as he looked to see if the shot had caused any damage, he felt the courier's gun collide with the side of his head.

By the time he'd blinked the inky blotches out if his eyes, he saw Lenix, one of his subordinates, had joined them in the cabin to see what had happened. He surged ahead of Blood Moon to grab the courier, who was back on her feet. The frumentarius shook the last of the dizziness out of his head in time to see Lenix pulling the girl back toward the cockpit, then he saw why. One of the missile racks was about to fall over. According to their data, the missiles in the plane were either thinly-cased, heavily powdered shells or white phosphorus chemical bombs. Either going off would be deadly.

Just as he finished the thought, the heavy rack fell and exploded. It must have been one of the chemical bombs that had fallen over; had it been a powder bomb, no one would have survived the blast. In this case, the only causality seemed to be Lenix. His broken, burned body had taken the brunt of the blast. In his death, he'd shielded the courier. The girl was still on her feet but fighting to breathe after the explosion had sucked the air out of the plane.

The frumentarius felt a sudden shift, then was forced against the wall as the cabin tilted. Looking out the window, he saw the plane was falling.

"Rufius!" Blood Moon shouted to the sole living occupant of the cockpit since they'd taken care of the flight crew. His technically-minded frumentarius would know the extent of the damage.

"We've lost an engine and something is wrong with the wing!" the man cried back. "What happened?"

Blood Moon growled as he looked over to 'what happened.' The courier was starting to get air back into her lungs. The huge Legionary ran over to the girl and grabbed her.

"One of the bombs was struck," Blood Moon called. Granville put up a minor struggle as she coughed and gasped. "Can you control the plane?"

"No, we're going to crash," the pilot cried. Blood Moon growled at that, then glanced out the window. The ground was getting closer. He dragged the girl to one of the metal beams that stretched from ceiling to floor and pressed her to it. She seemed to understand what was going to happen and stopped struggling as Blood Moon braced himself and the girl to the metal and waited.

Judging by the angle the plane was tilted, the nose would hit first; Rufio would not survive. Blood Moon and the courier would be fortunate-

The plane shook as it hit the ground, then everything went black.

***.*.***

Blood Moon watched as his commanding officer spoke to the courier. She had survived the crash along with the Legionary, thought they had both been damaged. Fortunately, Blood Mood had only lost consciousness for a few moments; the cabin had already started filling with smoke by the time he'd awoken. He had carried the unconscious courier back to their base, where they had to use several stimpaks to stabilize her.

The use of such once-forbidden medicine had sickened him at the time, especially when Vulpes had ordered Blood Moon to be treated with them as well. The girl had obviously needed them, however; she'd only just woken up after a few days of unconsciousness.

"Why are you keeping me alive? Why are you doing any of this?" Granville demanded loudly, breaking Blood Moon from his contemplations.

Vulpes' smile took on an amused quality as he set her Pip-Boy on the nightstand. "If I've learned anything about you, girl, it's not to be careless." The smile twisted into a sneer as he grabbed her by the chin. "You have a habit of living when you shouldn't and succeeding when odds are against you. You destroy and alter at ill with no thought of the consequences."

Oddly enough, the girl suddenly smiled when he said that. "Are we talking about Caesar? I take it you're still mad about that."

Vulpes let go of her face, only to backhand her. The smug look disappeared as her head fell back on the dingy pillow.

"You will not learn the nature of our plans from me or my team; All you need to know is that you're only useful alive for now." He got off the bed, then moved to her side. Placing a hand on both of her shoulders, he pushed down on the mattress, bringing his face close to hers.

"You will make no attempt to escape, and you will remain silent, or I will let my men relieve the frustrations of the past months on you." Letting her go, he moved to the table where Blood Moon and the others were gathered.

The Legionary glanced back at the girl and found her blinking back tears.

***.*.***

"Hey, wake up."

Where was that voice coming from? It was so loud.

Boone looked up from the scope pointed at Coyote Tail Ridge to see who was talking to him. Everyone else was focused on their scopes, not speaking, so he went back to his own. Khans were pouring out from the camp. Most were screaming. He had to stop the shaking in his hands. His orders-

"Boone, wake up!"

The sniper's eyes snapped open to find Veronica looking down at him. He sat up with a grunt; it had been a dream. That dream.

The nightmares had come back. He thought he'd been hiding it, but from the look Veronica was giving him, he knew he hadn't done a very good job. He found himself uncomfortable that Veronica had caught him having a nightmare; instead of looking at her, he focused on his hands and getting them to unclench.

"We've got to take another pass at the securitrons," the scribe said conversationally. Boone sighed as he rubbed his hands to get the blood running through them again.

"Yeah," was all he said in answer. Veronica let out a loud sigh and sat down on the bed. The sniper felt irritation bubble up as she did; Veronica and ED-E hadn't left him alone since they'd made their camp at the old Brotherhood base. He knew they were worried about him; Raul was too, but at least the ghoul let him have a few moments to himself.

"Look," he started, trying but failing to get his head sorted out before he spoke. He didn't want to be an ass to Veronica, but she couldn't just hover around him the rest of his life. He'd end up going mad.

"I'm …" He wasn't okay. There was no sense in lying. "I can still do what I need to."

"I know," the scribe answered patiently. "I just want you to know you're not alone."

That set off a strange feeling in his chest. It was good to remember he had friends here; two of his best friends, in fact. But her statement irritated him as well. She'd said that already, and he was starting to think she was just doing it to calm him down.

Just as he was about to call her on it, Raul spoke up from the work bench across the room.

"You two should go out and try to get another securitron," he said in a careful, even tone. "Take ED-E with you."

Boone knew he was trying to prevent an argument. He almost protested anyway, but instead groaned loudly as he got off the bed and started preparing for the day.

An hour later, he was set up on a ridge overlooking the Colorado River. He just needed to find a lone robot. The irritation rolling around his head had faded as he went into the familiar routine of setting up his position. Veronica wasn't trying to make him angry, and he was glad she was around. He'd been on a short fuse as he got less and less sleep. He wasn't eating right either. It was just a matter of time before the others noticed that too, if they hadn't already.

There had been the one night he thought about sneaking away and just trying to push for the weather station. He probably wouldn't even get to Vulpes or his frumentarii, but he'd put a dent in the robot army before they got him.

Who was he kidding? Going by the numbers he'd seen, he wouldn't take out enough for them to even notice. Even if he did, he couldn't do that to Veronica and Raul. Bringing Benny along had been his idea. He couldn't just run off and leave them to clean up his mess.

Veronica had just made her way up to his spot, but tripped on a rock and went down on one knee as she did.

"That was Benny's fault," the woman grumbled while standing. The remains of the irritation in Boone's head vanished as he couldn't help a grunt of laughter. They'd turned their 'captive' into a scapegoat; everything was now Benny's fault. When they'd run into cazadores yesterday, it had been Benny's fault, even though he'd been back at base with Raul. When they'd run out of Nuka-Cola, it was Benny's fault, even though the man refused to drink the stuff without a shot of rum in it.

The Chairman hadn't appreciated the game once he'd gotten wise to it, but that was also his fault.

Veronica flopped back down next to Boone with a grunt. The sniper closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the woman jostled him and his once-perfect positioning.

'Sorry," she said, not sounding very sorry at all. Boone was actually surprised how much his mood had improved in the last few moments. Lately there'd been nothing but anger and sadness, the few bursts of laughter had felt good.

"You don't trust Benny, right?" Veronica said, breaking up his thoughts. The sniper shifted to his side as he leveled a blank look over his shoulder at her.

"Okay, okay! Don't give me the disapproving Pre-War dad look!" the scribe cried. The smile that had sprung up on her face melted as quickly as it appeared. "Why are we dealing with him, then?"

"He's the only lead we've got," Boone replied as he rolled back onto his stomach. Another pack of bots was starting to come into view. Hopefully one would break off from the others.

"And what if he's just setting us up for an elaborate death?" Veronica asked sourly.

"Then one of us has to kill him first."

"Yeah, yeah. You're just a big bag of sunshine, you know that?"

The sniper merely grunted and went back to his scope.

***.*.***

Oh he did NOT like that ghoul. Benny had suspected as much within the first few minutes of meeting him, but he hadn't expected the old man to be such a loudmouth.

The former Chairman was starting to understand why Granville had been friends with these people; they were all loud, obnoxious or too clever for their own good. Well, maybe not the sniper. But Benny could take a wild guess why the courier had kept the musclehead around.

"As enchanting as this is just sitting around; what are we doing?" the ghoul rasped.

Benny ground his teeth as he fished the binoculars from his pack. Moving his arms in front of himself, he felt another burst of annoyance; he was wearing a plain set of leather armor. It was on par with the kind of things he'd been wearing lately, but he missed his suits.

He still had them hidden away, waiting for Daddy to come back and get them. Trying to cram down the irritation, he instead focused on the situation in front of him. He'd get back to the heights he'd enjoyed for seven years before it'd all gone to hell. All he needed to do was reach out and grab it at the right time.

"We're watching what your friends are doing wrong," Benny announced for the ghoul's sake.

"Well with your exemplary directions, it's no wonder they've been having trouble," the other man said.

Benny felt that vein in his forehead start to jut out again. _Keep it cool, Ben-Man. _He looked through his binoculars to the rolling valley below them; Veronica and Boone were attempting to capture another securitron.

As usual, it didn't end well. Boone managed to get the wheel shot out, and Veronica quickly ran up it and wrenched the control panel free. For a moment, everything was quiet as she started tinkering, then the woman quickly leapt away before the thing exploded.

The former Chairman sighed as he saw pieces litter the area again. The Brotherhood woman got off the ground, then started dragging the busted robot to the water. They'd been dumping the 'bodies' in the river to conceal them. The longer it took Inculta and his cronies to catch on, the better.

His eyes scanned the pieces as a frown formed on his face. They were never going to get one of the robot bastards at this rate. He saw a black stick with a circle on it, then recognized it as one of the antennae that usually sat on the securitron's heads.

"Wait.." Benny said, then grabbed the binoculars out of the ghoul's hands again. Looking through them, he couldn't help but grin.

"What if he just shoots that antennae job first?" the former Chairman asked. The other man let out a snort.

"It'll go haywire, probably blow up anyway."

"But what if that disrupts its programming?" Benny pressed. "Maybe it'll forget to blow itself up."

"It might forget its orders too," the ghoul shot frowned at that, lowering the binoculars. "Then we'll have an intact robot with an empty head." Benny thought for a few moments, then shrugged.

"Well, unless you've got any better ideas, let's give it a shot."

The ghoul didn't argue, but Benny was pretty sure he heard him grumbling as he got to his feet. His knees did at least; the former Chairman heard 200-year-old wooden rocking chairs that made happier noises when moved.

Looking up, Benny found the ghoul glaring at him as if he'd read the man's mind.

"I'll let them know. Try not to give us away," the old man said as he started down the hill.

Benny thought about popping him one in the back of the head, but he'd probably get that sniper rifle up the ass for his trouble.

* * *

Well, I had hoped to get the story done by tomorrow, but clearly that isn't going to happen. So the new plan is to have it completed by the end of the year. Thank you for reading!


	24. Realities

Layla sighed heavily as she stared at the ceiling. She was miserable; tired, hungry and uncomfortable. Her hands were tied to the grate at the head of the bed she was lying on, keeping her tethered and unable to to get comfortable. In all honesty, the position was actually an improvement; when she'd first woken up, her arms had been tied behind her back and her hands had been nearly numb. And while the ropes on her wrists were pretty tight, they weren't cutting into her circulation this time.

The initial horror of waking up in Vulpes' hands had worn off, especially since the Legionaries seemed to be pretty content with ignoring her. She'd wanted to scream at them, call them names, keep reminding them that Caesar was dead, but Inculta's threats were still fresh in her mind. The courier wasn't foolish enough to think he was bluffing. The fact that she was only clad in her underwear didn't help those fears, so she kept her trap shut.

She'd done the only thing she could for now; observe. She determined quickly that she was being kept in the weather station at Fortification Hill; the equipment, the door that had opened with the Platinum Chip and Radiation King poster had confirmed it.

The various frumentarii shuffling in and out would gather around the metal table that had been dragged in and work out their plans. That would have been very interesting to pay attention to, except they were all speaking Latin.

Latin. She hadn't thought the Legionaries really knew fluent Latin. If she had to guess, she'd figure that might only apply to a small percentage of the Legion's original numbers. Mainly frumentarii. It made sense; it had to be pretty rare for someone to randomly know a dead language, making it safe to speak in mixed company.

There had been a few words she'd been able to pick up. She knew a tiny bit of Latin from her training with the Followers and when she'd asked Arcade, but the most she'd discovered was all the Legionaries' names.

Layla had noticed things got more lax when Vulpes himself was not in the room. He was there most of the time, undoubtedly coordinating the others' movement. But every now and then he'd leave. When he did, the remaining legionaries, primarily the younger ones, weren't so careful to ignore Layla.

That had proved to be a double-edged sword; they had mentioned a few things in English that Vulpes probably didn't want her hearing. The most damning being their use of undercover couriers; it had felt like someone dumped ice water on her when she'd found that out. Joshua and Ulysses had both warned her about them, but she hadn't thought they'd still operating after the Dam battle. There were probably snakes in her own company.

But while the slip-ups were good for her, the younger frumentarii would wander over to harass Layla. Armand and Hugo were the worst of them; between the leers and less-than-subtle innuendo, Layla often found herself wishing Vulpes would return so they'd behave.

Currently, Vulpes was out again; but she took a little solace that Blood Moon was there. Inculta was the one they obviously respected, but Blood Moon they feared. Layla wasn't so fond of him either; she kept catching him giving her a hard look. Not lecherous like the younger Legionaries, more like he was deciding on how he was going to dissect her. That may have had something to do with her screwing up their plans to steal the Lady.

That made her stomach churn. The plane had gone down and was probably destroyed. And what happened to the others? Even if they'd figured out what happened, there was no way they could know where the Legion was keeping her. So she was trapped here unless she could think of a way out. Nothing had come to her so far.

Her brooding was interrupted as Delmar approached her. The young man hadn't done much to bother Layla, but she wasn't exactly happy to see him either.

"We are moving you," he said stiffly, as if it pained him to speak to the courier.

"Great. Where are we going?" She'd probably sounded too eager. For all she knew they were about to drown her in the Colorado River. Or worse.

"You are getting tied to a chair," Delmar answered. "Blood Moon wants to sleep on the bed."

"Oh." Not able to help herself, she grinned in the veteran legionary. "I'm Sorry, Blood Moon. Was I interrupting naptime?"

The huge man didn't respond directly, but as soon Layla's hands were freed he reached over to wind a hand in her hair and wrench her out of the bed. Fighting back the urge to cry out, the courier allowed herself to be placed in a chair. She sighed heavily as Delmar and Armand started tying her down.

They hadn't been very gentle with her, but the hadn't been nearly as bad as she feared. This had been a strange mix of passive horror and boredom. With any luck, she'd figure her way out of this mess before things got bad, but so far she'd seen no way out.

She truly never thought she'd be happy to see Vulpes enter the room. At least he made things interesting. The man's face grew hard once he found her on the chair at the table. Without a word, he glanced over the papers on the surface of the table, then turned his glare to the bed.

Seeing Blood Moon on the bed already fast asleep, he glanced to Delmar and Armand with a growing frown.

"Alerio has discovered a problem," he said, then glared down at the courier. She couldn't help the overly-innocent smile she gave him, which only made him scowl further.

"Plures securitrons fuisset attritum," he growled. The other two Legionaries looked concerned at that, and soon they were speaking rapidly to each other. Far too fast for her to attempt to translate. Layla thought again about what Vulpes had started with. She wasn't surprised they didn't have a word for 'securitron' in Latin. Unfortunately, that was all she'd picked up.

But clearly securitrons were the problem, or something that was happening to them. Layla fervently hoped the rangers were causing these assholes trouble. Judging by how quickly they were talking and how stiff their posture was, it was a big problem.

She saw Inculta look her way, and the grim expression on his face soured further. She realized she must have been grinning again.

"Put the chair near the bed," he said to his two Legionary. "And blindfold her."

That took the smile off her face.

***.*.***

Veronica was starting to think Layla's weird-ass luck had left them with her death. The thought made her stomach churn, but she didn't have time to dwell on it; she was trying to keep herself from getting shot.

Benny's new plan had actually been pretty sound; Veronica herself had switched off robots in a similar fashion in the past. She'd never really had the chance to try it on a securitron, but now was as good a time as any. That at least was what she'd thought until Boone shot the antennae off the thing.

Now it was going berserk. Its frantic movements were obviously making it hard for the sniper to get a good shot on it. Veronica practically had to dance to keep it from smacking her.

She ducked under the robot's wildly swinging arm as it simultaneously fired. Pain exploded in her leg, and she heard another shot ring out behind her. Her leg gave out on her just as the securitron toppled over, fortunately in the other direction.

Veronica hit the ground with a cry and lay still for a moment. The pain in her leg was horrible; she'd been shot again. That made two times; and this was just as bad as the first.

By the time the scribe managed to get herself propped up on her elbows, Raul, Boone and Benny had arrived. Boone immediately went to Veronica's side as Raul and Benny tried to get the motionless securitron onto a dolly. The sniper's face was hard as he knelt down.

"How bad is it?" he asked, scanning over her injuries. Veronica looked down at her bleeding leg with a frown.

"It hurts," she said, "but I don't think the bullet's in it or anything. I may have twisted it on the way down."

Boone nodded, then dug a stimpak out of his pocket and injected it into her leg.

"Med-X?" he asked, and the scribe shook her head. Boone nodded, then stood.

"Stay there," he said, going over to help the other men secure the robot. Once Benny and Raul were pulling the thing back to the shore, Boone came back to Veronica. He knelt down and pulled her up by her arms.

"Can you walk?" he asked. Veronica tested her weight on the leg, then hissed as pain flared and blackness studded her vision. Boone nodded grimly, gently lifting the scribe and putting her over his shoulder.

"My hero," Veronica said sourly.

"Payback," Boone grunted as they started for the shore.

"You still owe me; I weigh like a third of what you do."

The sniper merely grunted again and started their somewhat awkward and definitely painful trek across the river to their bunker. What felt like an eternity later, he finally set her down in a chair.

"Sure about that Med-X?" he asked. Veronica grimaced this time, then rolled up her sleeve. The sniper quickly administered a shot with his usual business-like care. Then he stood and turned on Benny with an sudden, enraged look on his face.

"You nearly got her killed," he said stiffly. The Chairman gave him a shrug from across the room where the securitron now lay.

"Wouldn't have happened if you'd been quicker taking its wheel out."

That clearly hadn't been the thing to say; Boone's face started to turn red.

Veronica nearly opened her mouth to say something; they really didn't need to fight now. But her leg was killing her. If Boone wanted to punch Benny's head in, that was fine with her.

"We're not disposable," Boone growled. Benny still looked unimpressed, but Veronica noted his posture was getting stiffer.

"Calm down," Raul groaned. The old man stood up from where he'd been crouched over the securitron. "Veronica will recover, and the plan worked. You can beat him into a bloody pulp once we're through."

Boone's posture loosened, and he nodded. Benny, on the other hand, didn't look so happy.

***.*.***

Less than a year ago, things had been different. The Legion had been slowly but surely taking the western shore of the Colorado. The profligates had been terrified of them. Caesar will was coming to fruition. Now, mere months later, the Legion was reduced to a band of glorified raiders.

The cause was lying helpless before him; there was no doubt it had been the courier who'd turn the tide of the war. She hadn't just shot his men or healed his enemies' wounds, she'd undone all the fear he'd put into the profligates' minds.

Part of him wanted to hurt her, punish her for her crimes against the Legion. But his Legion was dead. He'd have his revenge against her and the NCR for as long as he had men to fight them. Another part of him wanted to kill her right now, while she was at his mercy. She was dangerous, she'd proven that numerous times. But the part of Vulpes' mind that won out was his logic. She was valuable, incredibly valuable. If this plan didn't work out, he could utilize the girl in numerous ways. He'd been half-expecting any number of her friends to come bursting through the door since they'd picked her up. She'd make for an excellent hostage if push came to shove.

So for now, she stayed in his grasp.

Despite his delight in the courier's capture, Vulpes had to admit the timing was bad. The operation was at a crucial, delicate stage. Having a volatile captive certainly did not aid it. She seemed to always be watching and listening Vulpes had considered storing her away from where they planned. That wasn't feasible for now, so here she stayed. If nothing else, she had been providing entertainment to Vulpes; he studied her just as she studied him.

One thing he'd learned about her that he hadn't known was how heavily she slept. Amazingly so; the girl was laid out on the bed, arms bound to the frame. One would think she would be unable sleep comfortably in that position, never mind in enemy hands. Yet she looked serene.

That wasn't to say her sleep was always peaceful. One night she'd thrashed against her bonds, whimpering. And on another she woke up suddenly, looking panicked.

Waking her had proven challenging at times. Usually she'd mumble something about 'ten more minutes' and immediately fall back to sleep. There had been a few instances she'd be confused as to where she was, calling for her sniper as she roused. The moment she realized her mistake had proven amusing every time.

When she'd first woken in his care, the courier had been terrified, no doubt spurred by the Legion's normal treatment of women. That fear had proven useful, and Vulpes had nurtured it. With the threat of sexual abuse hanging over her head, the courier behaved as he told her to. If he were to actually allow his men to violate her, she'd do everything in her power to escape, and the girl had a knack for escaping things.

Once this operation was over, he'd deal with her. The girl possessed a vast amount of knowledge about their enemies, and he planned to have it. She'd then see how the Legion treated profligate scum that was fool enough to defy them.

The girl stirred, pulling her legs closer to herself. It was cold in the bunker without the sun beating on it, and she had been stripped to her underwear. He almost was disappointed in himself for enjoying such a petty delight as seeing the girl uncomfortable.

His musing was interrupted as she started to rouse. Vulpes watched her, curious to see if she'd know where she was when she woke. Her eyes opened slowly, and she peered at him.

"Oh, good morning, Vulpes," she yawned, a small, delicate noise, before continuing. "You getting breakfast? I could really go for a mutfruit. You get it, I'll pay?" She batted her eyelashes in his direction, as if he were one of her friends discussing their plans for the day.

"Blood Moon tells me you've misbehaved…" He allowed a dangerous lilt into his tone, and the smile faded from the girl. The look she adopted wasn't one of fear, more a wary expression. Vulpes was starting to wonder if she'd guessed his ploy in her treatment.

"I'm sure I have no idea what he's talking about," she said neutrally.

Vulpes merely smiled, suddenly getting an idea. He wanted to verify something he'd read on the girl's Pip-Boy anyway. Moving to the side of the bed, he leaned over and grabbed her by the jaw. Wrenching her head to the side, he found the tail of a small, nearly-faded scar on the base of her skull. Letting her head go, he grabbed the collar of her tank top and yanked it down. There was another fine scar on her chest.

The Courier looked like she'd been on the verge of panic until she saw what he was looking at. Understanding blossomed on her face, then a new horror replaced it.

"Looks like you may be useful for longer than I expected," he said, smiling at her. "We'll be sure to pay your scientist friends a visit, once you tell us how to get there."

Turning, he left her to think about what he'd said, confident she wouldn't cause any trouble for a while.

***.*.***

Veronica was going to be fine. She was currently rooting through the securitron they'd secured, grumbling to herself. Benny's plan had worked, but it would take time to go through the robots brain. Unfortunately, that wasn't Raul's department.

So, while it had been successful, the ghoul couldn't help but notice the harm the trip had caused; Veronica's injury was luckily minor, but she could have just as easily been killed. That thought was clearly what was making Boone so angry. Not that Raul blamed him.

The ghoul looked over to Benny and found him giving the securitron a satisfied look. Raul sucked his teeth, then stood.

"We need to talk," he said. All the room looked up at him, but he focused on Benny. The other man looked nervous for only a second, then gave him an easy smile.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"This way," Raul said, starting for the hallway. He made eye contact with Boone, who raised an eyebrow. Raul shook his head and continued to the other room in the bunker. It was empty save for an old wooden radio. Veronica had explained the trap she and Layla had walked into when they first found this place. Raul and the scribe had carefully gone over the bunker to make sure there weren't any more surprises.

Benny followed, still trying to look calm and collected. Raul had the idea that wasn't the case under the surface.

"Okay, sport, what's the-Hey!"

The former Chairman sputtered when Raul drew one of his revolvers and shoved it into Benny's face. Raul backed him against the wall, pressing the gun into his cheek.

"I don't know what your plan is," Raul growled, pushing the barrel into his face just a little harder. "But if you try it, there isn't going to be anything left to wrap that checkered coat around. You're not as smooth as you think."

"Listen," the other man started. The ghoul had to give him credit; he still sounded calm. "I'm not trying to get you or your friends hurt."

"But you're not working with us for fun."

"Hey, you people kidnapped me, remember?" He smiled, but it faded when Raul narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"If I'd been kidnapped, I wouldn't be helping my captors as much as you've been. You've been very helpful. Far more than you would be unless you had a plan cooked up in that grease-covered head of yours."

"Listen.. uh…" the man stumbled for his next words.

"You don't know my name, do you?" Raul demanded. When the Chairman gave him an apologetic grin, the ghoul nearly laughed. He backed off the man and holstered his gun.

"It's Raul," he said calmly, the edge gone from his voice. "You get back into that room and help. If I so much as smell betrayal on you, I'll let Boone sort you out. Then I'll shoot you."

Whatever mirth Benny had been playing at before was long gone now. He gave Raul a sneer, then turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

I hope you're all well! Enjoy the holidays!


	25. Tension

"Well, I'll admit it," Layla said, nodding thoughtfully, "I didn't have a clue."

Armand was giving her a satisfied sneer, which was better than his usual leer. The courier had definitely found a way to keep the man from getting unwantedly frisky with her; he was a blabbermouth. That was something Layla could appreciate, and gently goading him into conversation had not only kept him from being a perv, it'd given her some interesting information. Very interesting. Delmar was with them as well, though the man wasn't speaking. He seemed happy to see how impressed Layla was with their work.

Layla was about to continue plying the Armand for more, but she heard the weather station's door open. She tried, but failed to beat back the grin on her face. Vulpes stalked into the room with the rest of his senior frumentarii. The man glanced her way as normal, but she found him doing a double-take this time; probably from smile she still hadn't been able to get rid of. Layla had also meant to keep her mouth shut, but couldn't help as the words tumbled from her mouth.

"So Kreeder was one of your boys; I never would have guessed. You train your men well."

The Legionary came to a stop at that. Kreeder had been the leader of the Last Frontiersmen. Well, he'd taken over and started them on the path of anti-NCR terrorism. Layla had never suspected the man had anything to do with the Legion. Considering how smooth Kreeder had been, the courier wasn't overly surprised.

Vulpes glanced between the two younger men who'd been standing near the bed, then back to the courier.

"Apparently not well enough," he responded in that quiet, dangerous tone. The smile slid from Layla's face, and she noticed the men on either side of her had suddenly gone ridged. Vulpes stalked their way, and Layla wasn't sure who was about to be punished, her or the men.

Once the Legionary stopped at the foot of the bed, he looked at each one of them again, focusing on Armand.

"The dogs are getting hungry. Tend to them, both of you."

Neither Armand or Delmar argued, even if their faces betrayed their displeasure. They stalked away without a word, but Layla saw Armand give her a withering look.

"As for you," Vulpes turned his attention back on Layla. "You're hardly in a position to delight in gathering information." He grabbed her throat and squeezed just hard enough to make it hard to breathe. Layla automatically pulled at the ropes on her hands, struggling to get free, to no avail.

Panic started to grip her mind before he suddenly let go.

"Enjoy your victories, minor as they are. I will remember them as we ply you for your secrets."

Layla coughed, then craned her neck to wipe her mouth on her shoulder. She was proud of herself for keeping a defiant look on her face, even as her stomach clenched in dread. Vulpes glared at her for a moment more, then went back to the table and his other frumentarii.

***.*.***

"Okay, trying it now."

There was an unpleasant buzzing noise and a tiny puff of smoke.

"So… Yeah, that wasn't it," Veronica said, taking the wire away from where she'd stuck it into the securitron. Raul said nothing as he waited to connect the two wires in his hands again, but it was pretty clear from his face that he wasn't pleased.

They'd been doing this and things similar to it for the last few hours. Boone looked on from his perch on the bed as Veronica tried again, this time making the robot emit a squawking noise. He was curious about what they were trying to do exactly, but Boone didn't have much knowledge of robotics, other than how to destroy the things.

Benny frowned from under a cloud of cigarette smoke next to a terminal they'd hooked up to the securitron. The former Chairman was supposed to be watching to see if any useful information popped up on the screen, but Boone wondered if he had any clue what was going on either.

This waiting was starting to eat at the sniper; he was patient, but they'd done nothing but tinker with the robot all day. He wanted to get out there and find Vulpes, and put a bullet between his eyes. But he knew that would have to wait until they had a plan.

"Try it again," Veronica sighed. Raul stuck the wires together, and there was another buzz, but this time it sounded different.

"Oh hey!" Benny cried suddenly, sitting up in the chair he'd been sprawled in. "It's doing something."

Veronica twisted the wires into place, then got up to look at the terminal. She smiled broadly at the screen.

"That did it," she said to Raul, who also stood to look.

"What's it say?" Boone asked, noting too late how eager he sounded.

"Code," Raul answered, "that we're going to have to decode."

Boone sank back down on the bed, barely able to contain a frustrated groan. With nothing better to do, he lay down, hoping he could get some sleep. That was unlikely; he'd barely been able to catch a few hours each day. And when he did, it was disrupted by nightmares.

But he couldn't last much longer like this. So he pulled his beret over his eyes and hoped dreamless rest would find him. Unfortunately, like the last few times he'd closed his eyes, he saw Layla's burnt body. Boone rolled over to his side, not wanting the others to see his distress.

He wanted her back. He wanted her here. He wanted to run his hands through her hair and hear her laugh and feel her gentle hands and soft lips on his skin again.

But she was gone, and all his wishing wasn't going to bring her back. The ache that had never really left his chest strengthened at that thought.

The thin mattress under him wasn't padding the uncomfortable bed much; he just wanted to sleep. His mind wandered back, and he found himself missing Carla. The brightest things in his life kept getting snuffed out too soon.

The ache in his chest tightened. He needed to calm down or he'd-

"Got something!" Veronica cried.

Boone sat up, praying they'd found out what Vulpes was up to. He was ready to grab his rifle and go hunt the bastard down. Veronica had looked over when he moved. She didn't look as happy as he hoped.

"Well?" he asked, walking over. Raul looked over the terminal at him.

"We've found their orders."

"And?"

"They're only supposed to take orders from three people on voice command-"

"Vulpes and his jackasses, obviously," Veronica cut in.

"And they're eventually moving to a location," Raul finished.

"Where?" Boone asked, relieved that they could finally-

"It hasn't been inputted yet," Veronica said, glowering at the terminal as if it had betrayed them.

There was a long stretch of silence. Boone rubbed his forehead.

"So we've got nothing?" he said.

"We've got each other," Raul said, aiming a glare at Benny.

"This is all your fault," Veronica said in the ex-Chairman's direction. Benny's face twisted.

"WHAT?! I didn't do anything!"

"You were born," the scribe shot back. Benny glowered at her.

***.*.***

Judging by how everyone running around gathering papers and talking rapidly, something big was about to happen. Layla frowned, giving her ropes a tug in frustration. She couldn't last much longer like this; the inactivity was going to drive her mad.

Of course, she couldn't let her gracious hosts know as much; Vulpes would probably have her locked somewhere alone to sweat it out. The thought of that made her shudder; that would be an effective way to break the courier, and probably something she could look forward to if the Legionaries came back from their current plan in one piece.

That was a disturbing thought on several counts; Layla knew their plans included the securitron army, and she also knew that due to Vulpes' efforts, there were a lot of NCR soldiers in the Mojave. He could go from base-to-base wiping out as many as he liked. He'd take losses, but securitrons were a lot tougher than most people realized.

The other end of that worry was Vulpes' plans to 'talk' with her. He'd been looking over the files on her Pip-Boy whenever there was down time. There was so much he could exploit. Big Mountain, the Sierra Madre, all the locations to the keys she had (which included safe houses she was supposed to be keeping secret for the Rangers and the Followers). Even Joshua Graham's location, though that thought made her feel a little better; The Burned Man could handle Vulpes if he tried to take him out.

Inculta would have a lot of questions, and none that Layla wanted to answer. Her stomach clenched at that thought; there was little doubt in Layla's mind that the head of the frumentarii knew how to get information out of people. The courier liked to think she was strong-willed, that she'd protect her secrets when the time came; but she had to admit she was scared of what was coming.

She'd squirmed a little at the thought, then suddenly noticed something felt strange. It took her a few seconds to realize her left wrist was suddenly free; the ropes hadn't been tied securely enough and had slipped from her struggles. Staring at it a moment, she thought carefully. The room was full of frumentarii, she couldn't just calmly untie herself and leave. If she just-

"Let me get that for you," Armand said, making Layla yelp in surprise. She hadn't even noticed him approach. He grabbed her arm and slammed it against the bedframe, tying it back in place. The courier watched, not bothering to hide the displeased look on her face.

"There, all better," the Legionary said once her arm was secured. He looked down at her with a hard-to-read expression, making Layla uncomfortable. Eventually, he smiled and leaned closer.

"Too bad we're so busy," he said, lips brushing her ear. "I'm sure you've been lonely."

Layla managed to keep from herself from shuddering, but couldn't stop herself from turning her head away in disgust. Her gaze snapped back at him when she felt his hand on her thigh, starting to pull her legs apart. She used all the force she could muster to bring them back together, making Armand grunt as she succeeded.

An angry look darkened his features, then cleared. "We'll talk later." He backed away from her and went back to the others as Layla put most of her energy into not showing any of the emotion broiling inside her.

***.*.***

Armand moved away from the courier, who was now staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. Undoubtedly trying to hide her fear.

That was good; even more so was Armand's restraint. Vulpes would probably have had the man whipped if he had the gall to do more right in front of him without permission. For now, the courier was cowed, keeping her quiet and out of trouble. Just what he needed.

His thoughts were interrupted as Blood Moon finally returned. His success was obvious; he carried three bloody but intact NCR uniforms.

"Good," he said to his subordinate. "You'll leave as soon as you're ready." Blood Moon nodded stoically, but Vulpes knew better. There were few things that delighted the man as much as a battle. Considering who he was going after, Blood Moon would undoubtedly be in high spirits.

Things were coming along nicely, much better than he'd hoped. Initially, Granville's capture had seemed like a setback, but she'd proved to be an albatross; the plan was falling together much smoother since she'd been here.

That wasn't enough to make him sentimental or superstitious. He didn't plan to dispose of the courier anytime soon; but she would suffer. Vulpes knew she wouldn't give him the information he wanted willingly, but he would have it.

The girl seemed to have calmed down. She was scanning the room warily, undoubtedly trying to piece together any information she could. She'd stared at the uniforms Blood Moon had brought in, but said nothing. Layla Granville had proven to be quite intelligent, but emotional. A smile slid over his face as an idea occurred to him.

"Leave no survivors," he called out to Blood Moon, who was preparing to leave. "Unless the opportunity to take the sniper alive presents itself."

That caught the girl's attention. There was a quick shocked look, which then melted into an angry glare. Blood Moon gave her a savage smile, and Vulpes addressed him again.

"If you do capture him, break his hands. I want no clumsy escape attempts." The large man seemed further delighted at that. He looked back to the courier, who looked like she was going to be ill. Vulpes couldn't help but smile.

* * *

I'm back! We're going to try to be more regular about posting again. I won't make promises, but I'm hoping to post again on Saturday! Thanks for reading!


	26. Disguises and Lies

Boone didn't like being exposed like this, but they were low on supplies, and anything was better than sitting around. He and Raul slowly made their way up the shore of the Colorado, ED-E a little further behind.

Veronica and her unwilling assistant Benny were still looking through the securitron's files. So far all anyone had been able to figure out was that the machines were set to deploy to an unknown location soon. That didn't do much to help, and their only backup plan was weak at best; go to the weather station once the bots were gone, tear the place apart to see if there was anything to find. Maybe they'd get lucky and find a Legionary left behind for them to question. At least that was something Boone could look forward to.

"Trouble," Raul said, breaking Boone from his thoughts. Looking up, the sniper saw a group of NCR soldiers gathered in the shade of a nearby boulder. A small, dark-skinned man perched on the rock laughed while the wiry man next to him lit a cigarette. The third soldier, who dwarfed the other two, didn't seem as amused. All three were just sitting and talking, seemingly unconcerned with Boone or Raul.

Or so he thought; the huge one with the covered face glanced up at them for a moment, then looked back to the others and said something. The shortest of the group laughed loudly, then turned their way as well.

Boone could feel his arms start tensing. If they were recognized, the soldiers would probably try to arrest them. Then what? He and Raul couldn't let themselves be taken in, but the sniper didn't really think he could bring himself to fight his own countrymen. They didn't know what was really going on; he couldn't just kill them.

But he was fairly sure Raul didn't have such hang ups. Glancing at the ghoul, Boone found his posture was still casual, but his hand was on his gun belt. Fortunately, the group didn't seem too concerned with either of them; they'd gone back to talking among themselves. Boone avoided their eyes as he trudged by, relieved.

He and Raul were just starting to get far enough away to speak without fear of being overheard. The sniper was about to comment on the group when he heard a gunshot followed by the sound of laser fire. Turning back, he found ED-E firing at the troopers, who all had their weapons drawn. His shot had knocked one flat on his back, but the wiry one had started shooting their way with a pistol. The largest of the group was charging their way, a blade in his hand.

Boone's hesitation evaporated as soon as the one shooting at them hit Raul. The ghoul let out a hoarse cry just as the big soldier knocked ED-E out of the air with a huge, curved blade. He wasn't on the sniper yet, so Boone freed the pistol on his hip and fired at the gunman.

Boone felt like he'd been the one shot as he saw the man go down. He'd just killed an NCR soldier. There wasn't much time to dwell on it before the big one was on him, swinging his blade. Boone jumped back, holstering his pistol and going for his machete.

It was hard to think straight, between the suddenness of the attack and the guilt of killing a fellow soldier. But as the man swung again, he focused on avoiding the oncoming blade.

The large man wasn't giving him a lot of room to breathe. Boone started to dodge the next attack, but realized too late the swing had been a feint; the soldier backhanded him hard before he could correct his footing, knocking him flat. Boone blinked the spots out of his eyes just as the huge man pulled the handkerchief off his face.

"You continue to disappoint, sniper," the soldier said as a wide, grim smile spread across his face. Boone recognized him. Blood Moon. He'd been with Vulpes at Bitter Springs and Hoover Dam. He was a Frumentarius.

The relief he felt when he realized they weren't NCR soldiers provided enough of a distraction for the Legionary to pounce on Boone and knock him to the ground. Soon Blood Moon was straddling him, attempting to shove the broad side of his blade into Boone's throat. The sniper managed to grab the other man's arm before his neck was sliced open.

Boone pushed with all his might against the arm holding the gladius, but Blood Moon was stronger and in a better position. A cold smile spread over the Legionary's face.

"You've failed your woman again. How many times does this make?"

The sniper bared his teeth as he pushed harder, nearly knocking the man off him. The legs straddling his waist readjusted, and he was securely held down again. He couldn't hold out much longer.

"You don't even know how far your failure has gone," Blood Moon continued. "The courier is in our hands."

She was alive? The spark of wild hope that ignited in his chest died almost immediately. No. The Frumentarius was toying with him.

Laughing, the other man continued pushing down on the knife. "We have had her for days." He grinned down at Boone. "Your girl thought she was safe at home when she first woke up."

A strange mix of fury and hope swelled in him, and Boone forced a deep breath into his lungs, gathering his strength for a violent shove. Before he moved, Blood Moon continued.

"She cries out your name no matter which of us she's with."

Boone roared as he launched the other man off him. He was on his feet with his machete back in hand before the Legionary got his footing back. The taller man managed to deflect the sniper's first swing with his own blade, but he nearly stumbled as he backed away.

The sniper didn't let up; swinging again and again. The smug look on Blood Moon's face began to slip as Boone pushed him further back.

Eventually the Legionary seemed to regain his balance; He used his arm to deflect another of the sniper's swings. The bracer wrappings on his forearm took the brunt of the blow, but Boone was pretty sure he saw the other man grimace.. The Frumentarius swung his gladius, and Boone couldn't correct his movement quickly enough to avoid it.

The leather over his chest managed to deflect the full force of the blade, but a painful line was torn into his skin. Boone knew that if Blood Moon had been able to thrust his blade instead of slicing, he'd be dead.

They both backed up a step after receiving their wounds. Blood Moon was clearly sizing Boone up, and the sniper took a moment to do the same.

The Legionary was gigantic, well over six feet tall. Fortunately, his size, combined with his muscle mass made him somewhat slower. Considering Boone usually dealt in brute force when it came to melee attacks, the meager advantage was welcome; the larger man was clearly stronger than him.

Blood Moon gave him a savage grin. "Your exploits are well known," he said. "But you are only an honored warrior to the Bear; the Legion demands far more than your people."

Boone said nothing, but felt his grip on his machete tighten. Why wasn't he-

"Your woman is learning that Legion men are superior in other ways as well."

Blood Moon was trying to make Boone angry, he knew that. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to leap at the other man, leaving his side unprotected as he swung as hard as he could. He sliced into Blood Moon's stomach, just below the chest plate. The wound was deep, but Boone got a jab to his side in return. The pain was intense, but his ribs had deflected the blow from going far.

He let the pain push him forward as he thrust his machete at the other man's head. Blood Moon dodged, but Boone shoved his blade at him again. And again. The Legionary raised his blade to launch an overhead swing, Boone used the opportunity to punch a hole in the other man's abdomen.

That stopped the overhead swing, and the sniper backed away before he could change his mind. Blood Moon merely glared at him, as if blood wasn't pouring from his wounds. The Legionary charged him, and Boone dropped to one knee.

He'd worn enough NCR armor to know where to hit. When Blood Moon got close, the sniper swung his machete into the other man's knee. The Frumentarius went down with a strangled cry as Boone rolled away. Once he was back on his feet, he approached the other man.

Blood Moon had been waiting for him; when Boone got close, the Legionary slashed at him, slicing a gash in his leg. Boone ignored the wound and stabbed down at the other man's neck. The Legionary caught the blade, but not before it cut deep into his throat. The frumentarius opened his mouth, but no words came out. Boone pulled his blade away from the man, then kicked the gladius out of his hand. The harsh gurgling the Legionary emitted softened, then stopped all together.

Boone stood over the dead man for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Blood Moon had thought getting him angry would take him off balance. The man hadn't counted on Boone thriving in battle when he was infuriated; he'd spent a lot of time in that condition.

Not sparing the Frumentarius anymore thought, he turned to see if Raul was still alive. Boone hadn't had time to worry about the ghoul, but he hadn't seen him move since he'd been shot.

Relief poured through him as soon as he turned. Raul was on his feet and had just finished looting the other Legionaries, the blood from his wounds already starting to dry. He stooped down to where ED-E had fallen, and started pulling one of the plates off the robot's hull. Boone watched him work some of the wires for a moment, then looked down at his own wounds. The jab at his chest had hurt, but there wasn't much damage. The slice up his side was going to need attention, and he was going to need to patch the leather armor that had spared him.

He heard the electronic equivalent of a sputter and saw ED-E float up into the air. Raul was okay, ED-E was okay, and he'd be fine. Boone's hands started to shake as he checked his equipment; the adrenaline was leaving his system, and...

Layla was alive, but she was alone and trapped by Vulpes. Boone couldn't think about what his lover was going through. He couldn't even think about the relief and amazement that she was alive; letting himself feel one would bring the other. He had to focus on getting her back now. The other emotions could wait.

"We need to go back," Raul said as he rejoined Boone. The anger in his voice made it clear he'd heard their conversation.

"No time-" Boone started, but the other man cut him off.

"We need the rest of our ammo and stimpaks," Raul spoke up. The sniper swore under his breath. The ghoul was right.

"Let's go," he said stiffly. Both men rushed back to their temporary base with ED-E trailing behind, unusually quiet.

***.*.***

The door slammed open, startling the pair in the room. Veronica watched Boone walk in, covered in cuts and followed by a bloody Raul and banged-up ED-E. The sniper had a completely unreadable face as he moved to his pack, dumping it out and only replacing his ammo and stimpaks.

"What happened?" Veronica asked after a neither man nor robot seemed willing to talk without prompting.

"Blood Moon ambushed us. He's dead. Layla's alive. Vulpes has her. I'm going to the weather station," Boone bit out as he started grabbing the extra ammo they'd collected.

"What?!," Benny said incredulously. "The entire fuck-you-robot army is still there," Benny said incredulously.

"Doesn't matter," the sniper replied as he shouldered his pack and strapped both his anti-materiel and auto-rife to his back. His machete was on one hip and a new, still bloody gladius on the other.

"What do you mean 'doesn't matter?' We have to wait until-"

"I'm not waiting." Boone pinned the other man with a glare. "And I don't give a fuck about your plan."

Veronica's mouth was still hanging open after hearing the news. She noticed Raul was packing his emergency supplies as well. They were almost out the door before she spoke up.

"Wait!"

"They've had her for nearly a week, I'm not waiting," Boone growled dangerously, but Veronica pressed on.

"Calm down! Just wait and let me get my power armor on."

The sniper relented at that. He stood by the door as he waited for the scribe, glaring at Benny openly.

"Fuck, you're all nuts." the former Chairman groaned as he started packing his things.

* * *

I am still alive, see! Hopefully I'll be a little quicker on chapters until we see the story to the end! Thank you for reading :D


	27. Storming the Gate

Just a heads up: this chapter contains themes of a sexual nature that some might find disturbing.

* * *

"What are they doing?" Veronica whispered. Well, not whispered; she had to speak up past the whirring of servos from her power armor. Lying next to her, Boone grunted in response. He hadn't spoken in more than guttural noises since they'd left the bunker. If there had been time, Veronica would have tried to get the specifics of what was exactly pissing the sniper off.

Unfortunately, with Layla in Legionary hands for the better part of a week, it wasn't hard to guess. A sudden creaking noise startled her, and the scribe realized she was squeezing the binoculars in her hands.

"They're on the move," Raul said from Boone's other side, lowering his own binoculars. "Whatever they're doing, it's happening now."

The ghoul had been uncharacteristically tense as well. That actually worried Veronica more than Boone's dour mood; it took a lot to piss off the old ghoul. The fact that he'd maintained his anger made it all the more worrisome.

"Finally, some good news," Benny grumbled. She looked his way with a raised eyebrow, and he shrugged. "If the whole army of bots aren't there, we'll at least get a couple yards in before we're shot to death."

Benny's reaction to this situation had been about the same as when they'd first grabbed him; asshole whining.

***.*.***

The final plan was underway. Vulpes allowed himself a tight smile at the thought. He checked over his equipment a final time, trying to make a decision about the Pip-Boy near the bed, which currently filled the room with a cheery instrumental song. He then turned his gaze to the courier.

She wore an uneasy expression; clearly the gathering of equipment and papers and rapid movement of Vulpes' men had led her to conclude something significant was about to happen. Good. Let her fret. He walked to her bedside, the smile on his face turned grim as the desire to taunt his captive rose.

"And now your world crumbles at my hands as mine once did at yours," he said, and immediately regretted it. He wanted the girl to know nothing of what was to come beforehand. He wanted to come back and calmly explain the destruction he'd wrought, then tell her his further plans for her.

The courier's chin lifted, and she gave him a defiant glare. Vulpes nearly struck her, but stopped himself.

The song on the Pip-Boy had come to an end, and the announcer started speaking. The courier was still glaring at him, and the frumentarius let out a breath, calming himself.

_"- And this song goes out to my old friend, Victor. Happy tra-"_

He reached over and snapped off the radio, then put the device on his arm. He tested his swing to make sure the Pip-Boy wouldn't throw him off. Not bad, but he'd have to remember it was there. Vulpes had decided to take the device with him; contingencies had been his life for months, and there was no reason to stop now. The information on the machine was too valuable to let out of his sight.

Now the courier was giving him a baleful look. She had wordlessly made it clear that she didn't approve of Vulpes touching her Pip-Boy. That admittedly made doing so more satisfying.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts; there was much to be done. All of his men would be leaving to complete the plan. All but Armand.

The man was useful, but his recent undisciplined behavior had caused Vulpes to leave him behind. There was no room for error in this endeavor, so he would stay and tend to the courier.

Vulpes had little doubt that when left to his own devices, Armand would overstep his bounds again. That made little difference to Vulpes; the courier would be questioned as soon as he returned. Assuming he returned.

If Armand felt the need to take out his aggression on the girl, it would prove as a useful warm up to her interrogation.

***.*.***

"We should fan out," Boone said as he finally looked away from his scope. "Raul and Benny, pick them off from the sides. Veronica, go up the center. I'll cover you until you reach the fence, then join you."

"We're going to have to be quick," Veronica pointed out. "We should just try to take out their tires. Zero's research and all that bot crushing we did proved they really do suck if you hit them low."

Boone nodded; the robots had been clearing out for a while now. It was impossible to tell exactly where they were going; they'd rolled into the water, navigating from the river bed. It seemed like the rest of the robots were staying; it looked like about twenty.

"We can't do this," Benny spoke up. "We're all going to wind up dead."

"Maybe you," Veronica answered. "We'll be fine."

That didn't lessen Benny's scowl. Raul lowered his binoculars and looked back to the group.

"Do you have a better plan?" he rasped.

"Yeah," the former-Chairman said immediately. "We wait until _all_ the robots are gone, then go look."

"It doesn't' look like they're all going," Veronica pointed out.

"And they might take Layla with them," Boone ground out. "We're going now."

Benny's scowl deepened, but after a look in Raul's direction, the man nodded and protested no further.

***.*.***

This was an embarrassment.

Armand had been left _behind._ He had been integral in the months of planning of prep work of this mission, and now he was left here to babysit a prisoner.

Unfortunately, he was fairly certain he knew why; Vulpes must have considered him a liability. That thought burned in his brain like poison.

It had been easy to continue when Lanius had been in charge; the monster of a man had threatened any who doubted the Legion to an unpleasant death. But even he had been destroyed by the NCR.

No. Lanius had been killed by the courier, just like Caesar had. The courier had been the one to ruin the Legion.

And there she was, sprawled out on the bed, bound and helpless. The girl had looked more and more worried as the others left, and now that they were alone, she stared at the ceiling.

She knew what was coming. Good.

Armand started for her with purposeful steps. Caesar would be avenged of this woman.

And Armand would enjoy it.

***.*.***

Boone had been the first one to break cover, as planned. Four robots had toppled over on flattened tires before the others swarmed their way.

Fortunately, the different approaches seem to have done their trick; the securitrons were scattered, unable to decide which attackers to go after. Picking off the ones that got too close had been easy enough, but Boone had to catch up to the others as they reached the Fort's main gates.

The robots discovered him quickly as the sniper started for the weather station. He'd already been nicked a few times. He moved in small, rapid bursts, taking down the bots as he got near them.

Boone didn't stop to think as he fed another magazine into his auto rifle. Couldn't. Not now. Another wave of robots were coming his way, and he opened fire, using only enough mental power to aim for their wheels.

If he stopped to think, he'd hear Layla screaming for him in his head. He had to get to her. A bullet ripped into his side, but he ignored it. Nothing else mattered but freeing the courier from the Legionaries holding her. Once she was safe, he'd make every one of the fucks who touched her wish they'd never been born.

Something in him twisted painfully when he thought of Layla suffering in Inculta's hands, and his vision blurred for a moment. He shook all thoughts that weren't shooting robots out of his mind. As he cleared his head, he found he'd been surrounded.

Dropping to the ground, he threw a grenade at the securitrons behind him and started taking the wheels off the others in front. They didn't have time to recover. Once the robots around him were incapacitated, he quickly got to his feet and continued toward the spot where Caesar's tent used to stand. It was the highest point in the Fort, and he could clear a path before he charged the weather station.

***.*.***

Vulpes had left her with Armand. He had to have done it on purpose.

Whatever the Frumentarius was planning, it was happening now. As they'd been leaving, she'd tried to delay them, but Vulpes must have been expecting it. They barely paid any attention to her as she yelled and swore at them.

They were all gone now, all but Armand. He hadn't waited long after the others had left before making his way toward her.

Layla had been trying to prepare herself for this; she had been sure it was going to happen since waking up in Legion hands. She'd told herself to be strong and don't let them have the satisfaction of seeing any fear from her.

But as the frumentarii approached the bed and reached for her, she couldn't help the scared whine that escaped her.

***.*.***

The push toward the weather station had started well enough, but it became clear soon after they'd taken out the initial force that there were still reinforcements in the bunker. Just as Veronica had punched a hole in what she'd thought was the last robot, three more took its place.

She's been trying to dance around their fire to get to cover, but they were getting wise to her tactics, by the look of things.

Veronica was pretty sure that last shot had taken the armor's power supply offline. She'd have ten more seconds tops before it stopped responding to her, leaving her trapped and motionless. The securitrons weren't going to politely wait for her to get mobile again before blowing a hole in her.

The Scribe's heart sank, not because death was rolling her way, but because she hadn't been able to save Layla. She sincerely hoped the others would make it to her friend. Robotic death was far more desirable to whatever Vulpes would do to the Courier.

Just as her armor stopped responding, she saw one of the robots aiming its rocket launcher her way.

***.*.***

She kicked Armand with all her might. It didn't account for all that much strength, but Layla managed to get him right between the legs.

There would be repercussions for that, but the courier wasn't going to be able to escape what was coming anyway. Might as well make it terrible for them both.

Armand was currently lying on his side, gasping. Layla just held her defiant look. Her courage had resurfaced in the form of stubbornness, which she clung to desperately. When it let go, she knew she'd be too terrified to maintain any semblance of dignity.

The shock of the blow must have finally worn off. Armand crawled back up on his knees next to her and gave Layla a dark look.

"You… are going to pay for that," he said, reaching for her again. He gripped her hair and pulled, painfully forcing her head up.

He looked like he was about to say something, but instead he grabbed her tank top and ripped it open. Layla had yelped as he'd done so, and felt panic start to cloud her thoughts as the Legionary's hand started to roam her bare skin.

Still holding her head in place, Armand leaned down and bit her shoulder. With the sharp burst of pain and the unwanted closeness, Layla felt her resolve give out.

"Don't!" she cried. Armand ignored her, and she felt his mouth start moving up her neck as his hands groped her further.

The Legionary was interrupted as the door to the weather station opened. He flew off the bed, eyes wide and face paling. But the tension left his posture as a securitron rolled in.

"What is it?" he growled as he stalked over for the robot. Layla watched him walk away, then tried to stop her shaking. But he'd be back in just as soon as he got rid of the… robot.

Something had been bothering Layla for the last few days; Mr. New Vegas had been making odd announcements and dedications. She knew it was just desperate hope at this point, but what did she have to lose now?

"Hey securitron!" she cried. Both the robot and Armand turned her way, and she spoke again before Armand could stop her.

"Where's Victor!?"

The Legionary was back at the bed in what seemed like too little time. He struck her across the face hard enough to make stars burst behind her eyes. By the time the shock had finally worn off, she found Armand was straddling her on the bed.

"I have been left behind, because of _you_," the man said poisonously. "I'm going to enjoy punishing you."

He grabbed her neck with one hand and the waistband of her panties with the other. Layla tried to cry for him to stop, but the hand on her neck made it hard to breathe, never mind speak.

A loud bang startled her, and Layla was confused for a moment, thinking the unnaturally loud sound had been her underwear tearing. But they were still intact and on her. Armand had jerked when the noise had sounded, then hadn't moved. Finally, he twisted around to look back at the door, and just as Layla saw the bullet wound on his back, another bang echoed through the room.

Armand slumped off the bed and landed on the floor with another bullet hole in his forehead.

"That's what you get for mistreatin' a lady," came a familiar voice from the securitron. The unfamiliar tone of anger in a voice she knew so well struck her before she realized who it was.

"V-Victor?"

The robot rolled up to the bed, its screen flickering to the image of a winking cowboy.

"The one and only."

***.*.***

_Well, this is it._ Veronica knew the robot couldn't see her face, and that it probably didn't care either way, but she gave it a glare as it pointed its rocket launcher at her face.

The machine didn't fire. The screen went blank, then filled with static. A moment later, a cowboy was staring at her.

"Wha- _Victor_!?"

"Well hey there, little lady!" Before he could continue, another securitron advanced their way. Victor turned and deftly shot the machine's wheel off, toppling it.

"Now, I suppose this isn't the most gentlemanly thing to ask, but can ol' Vic help you out of that armor?"

"Victor?" Veronica repeated, sounding utterly confused. "But you were dead?"

"I got better," The robot answered, reaching for Veronica's armor clasps. He suddenly stopped.

"Uh oh, hold on a minute, darlin'."

The screen went dark, and the robot didn't move. Veronica just stared at it.

"Victor?"

***.*.***

"I should have let you kill me!" Benny shouted at Raul as they were backed against the wall of what was formerly the Legion's war camp. The robots were going to overwhelm them. There were too many.

"Don't tempt me to do it now," the ghoul shot back. Benny knew the old man had been hit a few times already; it hadn't seemed to slow him down.

The ex-Chairman knew firsthand what kind of treatment the Legion gave you if they wanted something out of you. He also knew that was nothing compared to what they did to women. Granville may have been a pain in his ass, but she didn't deserve that. No one did.

So while he complained, he wasn't going to just let those skirted bastards have their way. Too bad it looked like it wasn't going to be enough; four securitrons were wheeling their way, and he had to reload.

Raul shot one down as another raised its gatling arm their way.

The robot froze. Benny stared at it, confused.

"Wh-"

The robot suddenly moved again, turning its automatic fire on the other two and taking them down rapidly. It faced the two men again, and a new image popped onto the screen in its chest.

"Benny, never thought I'd see _you_ again," Victor said, sounding cheerful, if not smug.

The ex-Chairman glowered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Savin' your bacon. Pardon me," the monitor suddenly went blank again.

"What the hell?!" Benny cried, looking Raul's way. The ghoul finished reloading and shot the blank securitron.

"Count your blessings later. We need to keep moving."

"Yes sir," he grumbled.

***.*.***

Someone was attacking the weather station, Victor had told her. It had to be the rangers, maybe even the army. The thought made her heart swell and sink at the same time; there were lots of robots left, according to Victor.

Layla had asked the robot cowboy to go help whoever it was. He'd obliged, then locked her in the station and told her to just stay put and wait for him to come back.

The courier had found a discarded shirt in one of the lockers and pulled it on over the remains of her tank top. Moving was difficult; she'd been tied down for nearly a week, only released for a few minutes a day for bathroom breaks and to eat.

Not that they'd fed her much, or given her a lot of water. The result was a weakened state she hadn't been completely prepared for. She'd nearly been reduced to crawling as she barely stumbled to table in center of the room and sat in one of the chairs.

But she made it. She sat still for a moment, working to get her breathing under control. Eventually, she looked down at the papers she'd taken from the locker. Most of them were nothing of importance. But one confirmed a suspicion she had; a Mojave Express contract. She clenched her fist around the paper after she'd read it for the second time.

Layla made herself set the paper down, smoothing it on the table. Now all she could do was wait. Emotions warred in her head, but relief was winning. Victor was here, and there were others coming for her. Tears started rolling down her cheeks before she'd even realized they'd started. It was over…

Or was it? There was a chance her rescuers could be overpowered by the securitrons, even with Victor's help. And there were ways to trap Victor in a single robot body; Zero's research had mentioned it. So what if whoever was coming for her got killed because of her?

The tears were still coming, as relief and dread mixed together. The door to the room suddenly clanged loudly, startling her. She bit her lip. It had to be Victor and the rangers, safe and sound. It couldn't be Vulpes and Blood Moon and a pack of Legionaries coming back to take her somewhere where no one would ever find her.

The breath caught in her throat from another clang. Her backpack and her shotgun were on the other side of the room, but she didn't have the strength to get to them in time.

On the third clang, she unsteadily got out of her chair. If it was Vulpes, she'd face him on her feet. Even if fear was clawing at her insides.

The fourth clang was much lower in pitch, and she heard the whine of metal bending. With a final bang, the door came off its hinges and slammed to the ground. She nearly fell over, unsteady feet threatening to give out.

Of all the people she expected to rush into the room, Benny was _not _very high on her list.

The former Chairman caught the perplexed look she was giving him, and going by his face, he was about to make some form of snarky remark. He never got the chance as Boone suddenly appeared at the doorway, nearly knocking the other man over as he pushed past him.

The sniper caught sight of her and stopped short, looking hesitant to approach. There was a pained expression on his face as he looked her over, and Layla suddenly wished she'd made more of an effort to get pants on. She probably didn't look so great covered in bruises, wearing only her underwear and part of a Legion uniform. The sniper still hadn't moved, looking unsure.

"Boone." Layla sounded desperate as she tried to make her arms reach out for him. Some of the tension on his features faded as he rushed over, wrapping his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and tried with all her might not to cry.

"I thought you were dead," he said quietly, voice sounding strained and fragile. That immediately set her off.

"I'm sorry." she choked out between sobs. His arms tightened around her.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "Should have found you faster."

"They didn't… they- he was going go, but Victor…" She wanted to explain that what he was worried about hadn't happened. Not as far as he thought, anyway, but she just started sobbing again, shoving her face into his shoulder. "I'm okay," she managed to get out. "I'm okay. I love you."

"I love you," Boone whispered back as he pressed the side of his face into her hair. Layla felt the man shaking and realized he was crying too.

That really got her going. She nearly didn't notice extra arms were suddenly around her. Looking up, she found Veronica had attached herself as well. Raul stood a little further off, but Layla reached out an arm, and the ghoul joined the group hug.

She was alive, she was safe again. Layla sobbed with relief as her friends all held her.

Benny stood a few feet away, slowly shaking his head. He felt a sudden nudge to his arm and found Victor's angry face looking at him from the monitor.

"I always hated you," he grumbled.

"Likewise," the robot cowboy said back.

* * *

Thank you for reading.


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